# Arctic hare (*Lepus arcticus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/arctic-hare  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.03 kg – 4.41 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 10.1 years – 18 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 50.2 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.96 |
| Age at maturity | 10.1 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.07 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Lagomorpha
- family: Leporidae
- genus: Lepus
- species: *Lepus arcticus* Ross, 1819

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

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