The snowshoe hare, also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Food. In spring and summer, hares eat a variety of greens including grass, clover, ferns and garden plants. In fall and winter, they eat bark and the twigs of birch, aspen and conifers. In summer, the snowshoe eats succulent vegetation and in winter, slender twigs, buds and bark. The snowshoe, or varying hare (Lepus americanus), is the most common and widespread of the two species of hares in Alaska. It is distributed over the state except for the lower Kuskokwim Delta, the Alaska Peninsula, and the area north of the Brooks Range.

Scientific name: Lepus americanus

Trophic level: Herbivorous

Conservation status: Least Concern (Population stable) 

Mass: 3.5 lbs (Adult) 

Length: 17 in. (Adult) 

Gestation period: 37 days 

Family: Leporidae