La alpine hare belongs to the order Lagomorpha, family Leporidae, small and medium-sized mammals, characterized by the abundant development of incisors, with continuous growth. The Alpine Hare it is a medium-sized species, with a body length between 50 and 61 cm; the tail usually measures 5-8 cm, the ear 10-12 cm. The sexes are similar. In summer it is distinguishable from Common hare for the tawny or reddish-brown fur, which is visibly mottled, and with shorter ears; it is more similar in appearance to the wild rabbit, from which it is recognized by the less tawny and more gray hair. Also commonly called White hare o Variable hare, Alpine hareduring the winter it has an unmistakable and camouflage white coat. The footprints are very similar to those of the Common hare, but characterized by a wider support surface, similar to a snowshoe that facilitates and speeds up the advance on the snowpack; the toes are rather long and covered with hair, and are kept maximally extended on the substrata of powdery snow. In dangerous situations the Alpine hare is able to issue, like the Common hare, a sound similar to a bleat.
The Alpine hare: Habitat and distribution range.
The Alpine Hare it lives at high altitudes, generally above 1500 m asl, frequenting habitats such as heaths, shrubs and alpine pastures, the edge of the woods. In the northern portions of the range, in the absence of the Common hare, also lives in the plains. In the summer the alpine hare it is active above all during the night, but in winter it alternates phases of looking for food (more scarce) and resting during the course of the day. there Alpine hare tit spends the hottest daytime hours not in burrows dug in the ground, but taking refuge in beds adapted under stones or plants. The diet differs enough between the seasons: in summer it feeds on various herbaceous and shrub species and their fruits, while in the cold period it feeds mainly on small branches, tender bark of mountain trees and shrubs, mosses, lichens and seeds of conifers. The Alpine Harehe never drinks: he obtains liquids through food and, in winter, when he can only follow a diet low in water-containing substances, he directly takes in small quantities of snow. It is a solitary species, characterized by limited social relationships, even those of a couple. The reproductive period of the alpine hare, during which there can be 2 or 3 parties of equal size, runs from March to June; after a gestation of about 50 days, babies of about 100 g are born, already autonomous, which are weaned after only 15 days. The range extends over most of the northern territories of the Eurasian continent, from the British Isles to Japan. The species is also present in the Alpine Arc, but is absent from the Pyrenees. In Italy it is indeed widespread with relative continuity over all the Alps, within the Alpine and sub-Alpine horizon, with a partial overlapping of the area with the common hare.
The Alpine hare: Population size and trend.
The densities in the Alps are however rather low compared to the optimal ones of 80 individuals / 100 hectares found, for example, in Scotland. In fact, in the Alps, the species always has rather low densities (for example 3-4 individuals / 1000 ha in the province of Sondrio; Prigioni et al., 2001).
The Alpine Hare: Conservation and Management.
The Alpine Hare since the possibility of carrying out immissions with individuals from Scotland and Scandinavia has been considered several times, a first threat to the conservation of the species could be the genetic pollution deriving from this type of operations. Careful management of hunting and mountain tourism activities throughout the year is desirable; the latter constitutes a strong cause of stress during the wintering period, both in terms of direct disturbance and due to the parallel increase of direct predators (Fox and Corvids), which easily find food in landfills or high-altitude residences at any time of the year. It is therefore advisable to promote environmental education actions to avoid the abandonment of food residues and the administration of food to fauna (Prigioni et al., 2001). Since the alpine hare belongs to a very selective species from an environmental point of view and characterized by a rather low birth rate, in areas where it is in decline it seems necessary to adopt a ban on hunting alpine hare, while where the populations appear stable, a regulation of the withdrawal commensurate with the annual productivity is indispensable (Spagnesi & De Marinis, 2002).
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