What Differentiates Rabbits and Hares?

If you are old enough to remember the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, which ran in various forms from 1968 to 1985, you may have noticed that the words “bunny” (which typically refers to young rabbits), “rabbit” (or “wabbit,” as spoken by Elmer Fudd), and “hare” (as shown in various clever episode titles) all referred to Bugs Bunny. While this was likely done to serve the stories, the haphazard interchanging of the different terms probably led many people who grew up with the show to believe that all rabbits were hares and vice versa. In reality, rabbits and hares are different. The common names of some species also contribute to this confusion. Jackrabbits, for instance, are actually hares, whereas the rockhares and the hispid hare are rabbits. So, how do we actually tell the difference between the two groups?

Separating the two can be done by looking at the differences in size, life history, and preferred habitat. In general, rabbits are smaller and have shorter ears than hares. They are born without fur and with closed eyes after a gestation period of 30–31 days. Rabbits prefer to hide, rather than run, from their enemies. They prefer habitats composed of trees and shrubs, where they live in burrows dug into the soil. Hares, in contrast, are larger, and they are born fully developed with fur and open eyes after a gestation period lasting about 42 days. They are runners, preferring open-area habitats such as prairies, where they make their nests in small open depressions.

• Written By: John P. Rafferty

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