# European hare (*Lepus europaeus*)

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

The European hare (Lepus europaeus) is a medium-sized mammal of the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha. It is a nocturnal, terrestrial herbivore whose main foods are carrot, papaver rhoeas, soybean, sugar beet, trifolium, weed and winter wheat. Adults weigh 3.74 kg, and lifespan values reach up to 12 years. Gestation lasts 42 days, litters average 2.44 young with 3.75 litters per year, and the species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.74 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 10.7 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 12 years |
| Main food | carrot, papaver rhoeas, soybean, sugar beet, trifolium, weed and 1 more |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 41 days – 43 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.44 |
| Age at maturity | 7.48 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3.75 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Lagomorpha
- family: Leporidae
- genus: Lepus
- species: *Lepus europaeus* Pallas, 1778

Synonyms: *Leppus europaeus*, *Lepus aquilonius*, *Lepus campestris*, *Lepus campicola*, *Lepus capensis astaricus*, *Lepus capensis europaeus*, *Lepus caspicus*, *Lepus cyanotis*, *Lepus europaeus biarmicus*, *Lepus europaeus borealis*, *Lepus europaeus carpathous*, *Lepus europaeus caspicus*, *Lepus europaeus caucasicus*, *Lepus europaeus ghigii*, *Lepus europaeus iranensis*, *Lepus europaeus meridiei*, *Lepus europaeus niethammeri*, *Lepus europaeus pyrenaicus*, *Lepus europaeus tesquorum*, *Lepus europaeus transsylvaticus*, *Lepus hispanicus*, *Lepus karpathorum*, *Lepus meridionalis*, *Lepus occidentalis*, *Lepus pyrenaicus*, *Lepus tesquorum*, *Lepus timidus albus*, *Lepus timidus cinereus*, *Lepus timidus coronatus*, *Lepus timidus flavus*, *Lepus timidus maculatus*, *Lepus timidus niger*, *Lepus timidus nigricans*, *Lepus timidus rufus*, *Lepus timidus var. argenteogrisea*, *Lepus timidus var. hymenalis*, *Lepus timidus var. tumak*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Australia

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the European hare?

The European hare is a mammal of the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha. It is also called the brown hare, common hare and European brown hare.

### How heavy is a European hare?

An adult European hare weighs 3.74 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does the European hare eat?

The European hare is a herbivore. Its main foods are carrot, papaver rhoeas, soybean, sugar beet, trifolium, weed and winter wheat.

### Is the European hare endangered?

No. The European hare is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a European hare live?

The lifespan of the European hare is given as 10.65 years, with values up to 12 years.

### How many young does a European hare have?

A European hare has 2.44 young per litter and 3.75 litters per year, after a gestation period of 42 days.

### Which countries is the European hare recorded in?

Checklists record the European hare in Australia.

### Who named the European hare?

The European hare was named Lepus europaeus by Pallas, 1778.

## 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: European hare (Lepus europaeus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/european-hare