Arctic Hare - The exhibit of the month for January 2026
Every
month, visitors to our museum choose an exhibit that made the biggest
impression on them. The exhibit they chose for January was the Arctic Hare.
The Arctic
Hare (Lepus arcticus) is a species of hare that has adapted to the Arctic
environment. It lives in the tundra of Greenland, in northern Canada, and
in Alaska.
It was
formerly considered a subspecies of the mountain hare, but is now classified as
a separate species.
In the far
north, it remains white year-round. Further south, its fur turns a blue-gray
color in the summer, but its tail remains white. This is due to the activation
of a temperature-sensitive gene that affects skin pigment expression.
It feeds
mainly on woody plants, flowers, fruits, leaves, as well as meat baits used by
hunters as traps. It has a strong sense of smell and sometimes digs in the snow
to find food.
The female
gives birth twice a year, producing 3-4 young each time.
Credits: Wikipedia
1/2/2026
