Conservation Matters: More than just a big rabbit

Hares are not just bigger rabbits, they can also be big pests.

Hares are often thought of as large rabbits, but they are actually quite different.

They are up to 60cm long and can weight up to 4.8kg. Their coat colour varies with the season, from a red-brown in summer to a grey-brown in winter, as they moult twice a year. Their ears are much larger than a rabbit's, with a black tip, and their legs are much longer.

Hares were released in New Zealand, in Canterbury, in 1851, mainly for sport, although they were also a food source. They are now found throughout the main islands, preferring open country, from coastal pastoral land to alpine meadows up to 2000 metres.

"While hares are not seen as the pest rabbits are, they damage saplings, alpine grasslands, gardens and orchards."

The hare's diet is mainly grass and clover, but they will chew bark and browse shrubs when hungry. While they are not seen as the pest rabbits are, they damage saplings, alpine grasslands, gardens and orchards.

They are generally solitary animals, with large territories (up to 300ha) and do not dig burrows. Two or three hares are said to eat as much as a sheep. Their presence is often noted by the distinctive 45-degree angle cut of the grass.

Hares feed from sunset to midnight and will sleep during the day, in a shallow bowl made in long grass or under shrubs. They rely on immobility to avoid their predators, but, if threatened, will run up to 70km/hr as they try to outrun their attacker. Their main predators are feline, canine or larger birds of prey.

Breeding generally starts in spring. Their fertility reduces over winter, as the size of the male's testicles shrinks dramatically. Courtship involves much chasing and wrestling, and is where the expression 'mad as a March hare' comes from.

They are often seen standing up on their hind legs and 'boxing.' This was thought to be males fighting, but is also seen as part of the mating ritual. Female hares cycle six-weekly but are only on heat for a few hours, so competition from males can be intense.

Gestation is 42 days, and two to five kits are born, fully furred with eyes open. Kits weigh 130g and are mobile within minutes.

They disperse into the grass, and the female will feed them for five minutes at sunset, when they all re-converge. As she feeds the leverets they urinate, which she licks up to reduce scent trails for predators. She then leaps away and the young disperse for the day.

Hares can have up to six litters each year, and the female has the unique ability to conceive the next litter while still carrying the first. Males are sexually mature at six months, females at seven or eight months. They may live up to 12 years.

Hares are controlled by shooting, poisoning and repellents. They are difficult to poison compared to rabbits.