Mountain Hare
If you’re looking for a charismatic lagomorph then you’re in the right place! We’ve been lucky enough to have our encounters in the chilly Highland winters and the colourful summer, where they were surrounded by beautiful pink and purple heather.
Much bigger than Rabbits but smaller than Brown Hares - they’re perfectly adapted to their habitat of the mountain ranges of Scotland. Their fur transforms from a summer brown to a winter white - which is useful when needing to blend in with the snow! It always looks like they must be freezing but that thick coat keeps them toasty warm during the harsh winters. Talk about being true wildlife in the environment they need to survive. They have massive back feet to help propel them up to 60kph uphill!
What’s incredibly sad is how these beautiful animals need only fear their natural predators from March - July but the rest of the year are routinely culled throughout Scotland following claims it's necessary to protect the game birds that share their habitat from disease. Knowing this makes you treasure your encounters with them even more.
They also struggle due to the recent lack of snow on the mountains and can be easy prey to a soaring Eagle looking for its next meal. There is however something to be said for seeing a Hare in a full on blizzard and not looking bothered in the slightest!
