During your visit to the Cairngorms, some of the common species you will see include rabbits and hares. Active all year round, rabbits can often be seen grazing at the side of the road or field edges, whereas Brown Hares are a familiar site in spring as they ‘box’ each other in fields, or zig zag across the landscape.
European Rabbit (Oryctolagus Cuniculus)
The European Rabbit is probably our most visible lagomorph as they are often very common. They are typically brown with protruding ears with white under the tail and live in large burrows called warrens that often have multiple entrances. These tend to be found in grassland or woodland and were introduced to Britain during the Norman Conquest of 1066, they used them as a source of meat. Romans were also known to keep rabbits for food and as pets - indeed, the European Rabbit is the only rabbit species in the world to be domesticated. They have been bred to be different colours such as black and white and some domestic rabbits are bred to be larger than their wild relatives.
Melanistic or black rabbits also exist, especially on islands where there are fewer ground predators. Predators of rabbits include Red Foxes and Badgers, the latter are usually unable to catch the adults as they are too fast, Buzzards can take adults whilst hawks and owls can take very young rabbits. Scottish Wildcats, Pine Martens and Stoats prey on them, even though the Stoat is much smaller and Rabbits have been known to protect their young from Stoats, but typically run away when they see them.
Brown Hare (Lepus Europaeus)
This is another introduced species brought over by the Norman Conquest of 1066. They are typically larger than rabbits with larger ears, orangey brown fur and longer hindlegs. They are seen in grassland areas and can run very fast which they need to be, because predators such as Red Foxes and birds of prey like them as prey items.
They have a prolonged breeding season which lasts from January to August, and the females can be pregnant in all breeding months, the males are fertile all year except in October and November. During this time until January, their bodies gear up for breeding which reaches its peak in March, hence the term ‘Mad March’ - females have a six-week breeding cycle and are only receptive for a few hours at time, this makes competition between males fierce.
The hares can be seen ‘boxing’ which is where they rise on two legs and thrash each other with their paws. Something interesting was eventually noticed with hare boxing - until recently it was assumed that only males fought with each other, but it has now been realised that males and females can fight too. This tends to happen when the females are not ready to mate or if they are ready to mate, the fighting is done to test the male’s determination. When they are definitely ready, the female actually wants the males to chase her. This is to test their stamina. Multiple males will chase the female and the last one not to give up and sometimes, successfully fight the female is the one that gets to mate with her.
They’ll typically give birth around May, June and July with litters decreasing in size towards August, after which they’ll stop breeding.
Mountain Hare (Lepus Timidus)
This is Britain’s only native lagomorph. They are larger than the European Rabbit but smaller than the Brown Hare and have shorter ears than that species. This is an adaptation for cold climates and reduces the likelihood of them getting frostbitten. They live mainly in the Cairngorms though a small population has been introduced to the Peak District in England in the 1860s.
There is also a subspecies in Ireland called the Irish Hare, which can live in lowland areas as well as mountains. Mountain Hares have lived in Britain since the Ice Age and live mainly in upland areas. They don’t make burrows like European Rabbits or Brown Hares but live in depressions in the ground or grass called ‘folds.’ They feed on heather and the bark of low-growing trees. They are greyish brown in the summertime and turn white in the winter, with only the black tips of their ears staying. This is done to help camouflage them from predators such as Golden Eagles, of which Mountain Hares are a key part of their diet. They are also hunted by Scottish Wildcats, which ambush them by pouncing. They are a very hardy species and can continue to live in the Cairngorms even in the middle of winter when temperatures can drop to -20C, though like other mountain animals they can come to lower levels if conditions are severe enough.
They breed in late spring to early summer and produce one to four litters a year, that may consist of one to three young, known as leverets. They are active both in the daytime and night time. At night they can sometimes be seen running around on certain mountainous roads, perhaps choosing the night to feed when they aren’t going to be seen by Golden Eagles, but Scottish Wildcats could hunt them at this time.
The best time to see Mountain Hares is in the springtime, when the melting snow leaves bare patches on the mountainside, and any hares that are still white will stand out readily.
If you would like a chance of seeing either of these species you can go to: http://bit.ly/sw_DG to book one of our Day Guides.
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