No, not really. But this one sure is cute. I found him a couple falls back munching berries in Two Medicine Campground, Glacier National Park. Usually these hares flee at the sight of humans and into their burrows, but this one had to grab a bite before doing so.
A few snowshoe hare facts:
They average one year lifespans in the wild.
They weigh 2-4 pounds.
They range across the northern United States, extending along the Appalachian spine and the Rocky Mountains.
Snowshoe hares love boreal forests.
Snowshore hares feed mostly at night.
When people desert Two Medicine Campground, lynx and raptors began creeping in to feed on any unlucky hares. This specimen had several quick escape routes and seemed rather crafty. And check out the thumpers on this guy!
I’ve never seen one of them. I’ve been in parts of their range but have just never encountered one.
Snowshoe hare are mostly nocturnal or crepuscular, which would explain hiking in their habitat and not encountering one. I only see them at this campground in very low light, which is why they are so difficult to capture.