# Snowshoe hare (*Lepus americanus*)

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

The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) is a mammal of the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha, also called the varying hare, northern hare or snowshoe rabbit. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore with an adult body mass of 1.71 kg. Gestation lasts 36.85 days, litters average 3.4 young, and females produce 2.55 litters per year, with sexual maturity reached at 259 days. Its lifespan is given as 5.4 years, with values up to 8 years, and the IUCN Red List classifies it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.57 kg – 1.71 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 5.41 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 34 days – 36.9 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.41 |
| Age at maturity | 8.52 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.55 |
| 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 americanus* Erxleben, 1777

Synonyms: *Lepus bishop*, *Lepus columbiensis*, *Lepus hudsonius*, *Lepus macfarlani*, *Lepus nanus*, *Lepus niediecki*, *Lepus pallidus*, *Lepus pinetus*, *Lepus pinetus*, *Lepus seclusus seclusus*, *Lepus setzeri*, *Lepus wardi*

## Common questions

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

The snowshoe hare is a mammal in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha. It is a terrestrial, nocturnal herbivore.

### How heavy is a snowshoe hare?

An adult snowshoe hare weighs 1.71 kg, placing it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).

### What does the snowshoe hare eat?

The snowshoe hare is a herbivore.

### Is the snowshoe hare endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List classifies the snowshoe hare as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a snowshoe hare live?

The snowshoe hare's lifespan is given as 5.4 years, with values up to 8 years reported.

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

A snowshoe hare litter averages 3.4 young, with 2.55 litters per year after a gestation of 36.85 days.

### Who named the snowshoe hare?

The snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, was named by Erxleben, 1777.

## 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: Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/snowshoe-hare