# Mountain hare (*Lepus timidus*)

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

The mountain hare (Lepus timidus), also called the blue hare, Arctic hare or varying hare, is a mammal of the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore of grassland, with an adult body mass of 3.05 kg. Gestation lasts 50 days, litters average 3.2 young, there are 2.1 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 266 days. Its lifespan is given as 14.6 years and up to 18 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.05 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 14.6 years – 18 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 50.1 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.16 |
| Age at maturity | 8.74 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.1 |
| 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 timidus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Lepus gichiganus robustus*, *Lepus lutescens*, *Lepus moderni*, *Lepus othus tschuktschorum*, *Lepus saghalienis*, *Lepus timidus altaicus*, *Lepus timidus anabarensis*, *Lepus timidus tschuktschorum*, *Lepus tschukschorum*

## Common questions

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

The mountain hare is a mammal in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial species.

### How heavy is a mountain hare?

An adult mountain hare weighs 3.05 kg, placing it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).

### What does the mountain hare eat?

The mountain hare is a herbivore.

### Is the mountain hare endangered?

No. The IUCN lists the mountain hare as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a mountain hare live?

The mountain hare's lifespan is given as 14.6 years, with values up to 18 years reported.

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

A mountain hare has 3.2 young per litter on average and 2.1 litters per year, after a gestation of 50 days.

### Who named the mountain hare?

The mountain hare was named Lepus timidus by Linnaeus, 1758.

## 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: Mountain hare (Lepus timidus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mountain-hare