CreatureData

Arctic hare

Lepus arcticus Ross, 1819

LCLeast Concernmammals

The Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus), also called the Arctic snow hare, is a mammal of the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 4.4 kg.

Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Photo: Chmee2 · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the Arctic hare

Gestation lasts 50 days, with 3.96 young per litter and 2.1 litters per year, and sexual maturity is reached at 309 days. The IUCN Red List assesses the Arctic hare as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

Weight
3.03 kg – 4.41 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10.1 years – 18 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
50.2 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
3.96src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
10.1 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2.07src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the Arctic hare

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Stephan Sprinz · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Steve Sayles from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the Arctic hare live?

Not recorded

What is the Arctic hare?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a thick coat of fur. It usually digs holes in the ground or under the snow to keep warm and to sleep. Arctic hares look like rabbits but have shorter ears, are taller when standing, and, unlike rabbits, can thrive in extreme cold. They can travel together with many other hares, sometimes huddling with dozens or more, but are usually found alone, sometimes taking more than one partner. The Arctic hare can run up to 60 kilometres per hour (40 mph).

From the Wikipedia article “Arctic hare” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arctic_hare&oldid=1356897280), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the Arctic hare endangered?

The Arctic hare is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the Arctic hare classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderLagomorpha
  5. familyLeporidae
  6. genusLepus
  7. SpeciesLepus arcticus Ross, 1819
Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • Arctic snow hareEnglish
  • Llebre arcticaAragonese
  • Llebre polarCatalan
  • Арктика моренMari
  • zajíc polárníCzech
  • PolarhaseGerman
  • Αρκτικός λαγόςGreek
  • Liebre del árticoSpanish
  • napajänisFinnish
  • PólharaFaroese
  • lièvre arctiqueFrench
  • ארנבת הקוטבHebrew
  • SnæhériIcelandic
  • Lepre articaItalian
  • ホッキョクウサギJapanese
  • UkaleqKalaallisut
  • 북극토끼Korean
  • Arktinis kiškisLithuanian
  • Liepru tal-ArtikuMaltese
  • polarhareNorwegian Bokmål
  • PoolhaasDutch
  • zając polarnyPolish
  • Lebre-árticaPortuguese
  • Lebre-do-árticoPortuguese
  • Iepure polarRomanian
  • Iepure arcticRomanian
  • Полярный заяцRussian
  • Арктический белякRussian
  • Lepuri i bardhëAlbanian
  • กระต่ายอาร์กติกThai
  • 北极兔Chinese
  • 北極兔Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the Arctic hare

Other species in the same genus Lepus.

LC, Least Concern
Cape hare (Lepus capensis)

Cape hare

Lepus capensis

Leporidae

CompareArctic hare vs European hareArctic hare vs Mountain hareArctic hare vs Snowshoe hareArctic hare vs Cape hare

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the Arctic hare?

The Arctic hare is a mammal of the family Leporidae, in the order Lagomorpha.

How heavy is an Arctic hare?

The representative adult body mass of the Arctic hare is 4.4 kg, placing it in the medium size class.

What does the Arctic hare eat?

The Arctic hare is a herbivore.

Is the Arctic hare endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

How long does an Arctic hare live?

The Arctic hare has a lifespan of 10.1 years, with values reported up to 18 years.

How many young does an Arctic hare have?

The Arctic hare has 3.96 young per litter and 2.1 litters per year, after a gestation period of 50 days.

Is the Arctic hare nocturnal?

Yes, the Arctic hare is nocturnal and lives on the ground.

Who named the Arctic hare?

The Arctic hare was named Lepus arcticus by Ross, 1819.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/arctic-hare

MLA

“Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/arctic-hare.

BibTeX
@misc{arctic_hare_2026,
  title = {Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/arctic-hare},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}