# Difference between rabbits and hares



## coshu summer (Mar 12, 2013)

People usually get quite confused between rabbits and hares because not only they look similar, sometimes their names are confusing.

For example the Belgian hares are actually not hare and Jackrabbits is not actually a rabbit.

*Rabbit and hare family:
*
Both rabbits and hares belong to the same order Lagomorpha and family Leporidae and they both have short tails. Hares are usually larger than the rabbits.

*The main difference between rabbits and hares is that:*

Hares-

-are stronger built so that they can run away from predators.
-usually have bigger size and higher speed.
-hare babies have hair and are able to see.
-have stronger hind legs than rabbits which allow them to run faster.
-live above the ground.
-not as social and they usually live by themselves.









Rabbits-
-have brown fur in the summer and it is replaced with grey fur in the winter whereas hares fur is replaced with white fur in the winter.
-the rabbit babies are blind and hairless.
-are domesticated and often kept as pets while hares are not. Domestic rabbits have diverted into a lot of cute rabbit breeds.
-mostly live underground.
-generally live in group.

source: The difference between rabbits and hares









*What about Belgian hares and jackrabbits?*

The Belgian hares are :
-originally bred to be a meat rabbit, a meat source for human. 
-believed to be one of the most intelligent rabbits and are able to learn their names. (well my rabbits know their names too)
-the most active rabbit among all domestic rabbits.

The jackrabbit is simply a species of hare. There are several types, such as the black-tailed jackrabbit and the white-tailed jackrabbit.


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## VickiGS (Feb 13, 2013)

Don't forget that hares have bigger ears!


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## gem88 (Jun 2, 2012)

i grew up in the country and loved watching the hares box in the spring, although only discovered recently that its usually females fending off males when boxing rather than males fighting over females. theres a lovely smallish group of about 10 hares in a field near by, although they're very rarely close together they are lovely to watch.


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## 1290423 (Aug 11, 2011)

VickiGS said:


> Don't forget that hares have bigger ears!


I was going to say that!
And they are faster two I believe.


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## Grace_Lily (Nov 28, 2010)

Thanks for posting, found that really interesting 

I was in the kitchen the other day and saw a hare on the farmland I live next to, took me a second to realise what it was! Only the second time I've seen one.


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## 1290423 (Aug 11, 2011)

Grace_Lily said:


> Thanks for posting, found that really interesting
> 
> I was in the kitchen the other day and saw a hare on the farmland I live next to, took me a second to realise what it was! Only the second time I've seen one.


Below is an interesting link comparing the two.

Interesting that hares have never been domesticated

Hare vs Rabbit - Difference and Comparison | Diffen


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## coshu summer (Mar 12, 2013)

Grace_Lily said:


> Thanks for posting, found that really interesting
> 
> I was in the kitchen the other day and saw a hare on the farmland I live next to, took me a second to realise what it was! Only the second time I've seen one.


I have seen a lots of rabbits around where I lived but never seen any hares

Found this on a site: _"During the late 1800s there were about four million brown hares in Britain. But recent surveys show the brown hare has declined by more than 80% during the past 100 years and the decline is ongoing. In some parts of Britain, such as the South-West, the brown hare is almost a rarity and may even be locally extinct."_


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## Lovehatetragedy (Jul 8, 2010)

Hares will also often have black tips to their ears and their tails  Very interesting information, thanks for sharing!


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

i was at a big fate recently and they had a rabbit stall so i went over so we could talk rabbit, but this certain women felt uneasy by my knowledge so decided to look down at me and state that belgian hares are completely different to rabbits as they are hares not rabbits  i went oh ok and she asked me if id like to look at her rabbit breed book that her daughter had made, i politely declined and walked off ha


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## coshu summer (Mar 12, 2013)

MrRustyRead said:


> i was at a big fate recently and they had a rabbit stall so i went over so we could talk rabbit, but this certain women felt uneasy by my knowledge so decided to look down at me and state that belgian hares are completely different to rabbits as they are hares not rabbits  i went oh ok and she asked me if id like to look at her rabbit breed book that her daughter had made, i politely declined and walked off ha


Ha, this is interesting. Yes the name can be a bit confusing sometimes.


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

coshu summer said:


> Ha, this is interesting. Yes the name can be a bit confusing sometimes.


ha you would expect someone that is advertising themselves on a stall to know what they are talking about. well i guess not ha


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