Hares in GURPS

Hares are fast running lagomorphs which live alone or in pairs. In North America they are called jackrabbits. They take shelter in a shallow depression scraped out of the ground or a nest of flattened grass called a form. Young hares, called leverets, are born fully furred with open eyes and able to move about and fend for themselves. Parental care is usually limited to night-time nursing until the leverets are weaned. Hares are nocturnal and crepuscular. Frightened hares will freeze in place flattened close to the ground. If this fails they rely on a speedy getaway, running with great speed in an evasive zig-zag pattern. During the mating season the bucks will fight by striking with their paws and feet. Does will use the same methods to fight off amorous bucks if they are not in the mood.

Hares can be found throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. Some of the better known species are listed below.

• Snowshoe hares Lepus americanus are found throughout most of Canada and Alaska, and the upper montain reaches of the Rockies, Cascades, and Appalachians in areas of dense shrubs. They are brown in spring through autumn but turn white in winter. These hares have broad feet that act as snowshoes, allowing them to more easily move across the surface of the snow. Snowshoe hares have occasionally been observed feeding on carrion or small animals, and even resorting to cannibalism, although they are still primarily herbivorous. Mass is typically around 1.5 kg.
• Three closely related species of northern hare likewise have large snowshoe feet and turn white in winter, although the tips of the ears remain black year-round. Since the arctic summer does not have dusk, night, or dawn they will adopt a diurnal activity pattern at this time of year. Arctic hares Lepus arcticus are found in the extreme north of Canada and the icepack-free regions of Greenland. Mass ranges from 3 to 5 kg. The mountain hare Lepus timidus lives across Siberia, north-eastern Europe (including northern Russia), Scandanavia, Ireland, Scotland, and the Alps. Habitat includes tundra, forest, and moorlands, particularly in transition zones between them. Mass averages around 3 kg, and ranges from about 2 to 6 kg. Alaskan hares Lepus othus live in western Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, on rocky slopes, brushland, or upland tundra. Their ears are fairly short to conserve body heat in their cold environment. Mass averages about 5 kg, and ranges from 4 to 7 kg.
• Black-tailed jackrabbits Lepus californicus are found from central Mexico and Baja up through the central Great Plains and the West of the United States as far north as Washington State. They are commonly found in arid mixed shrub and grassland, generally avoiding habitats with a closed canopy. Mass ranges from 1.3 to 3 kg.
• White-tailed jackrabbits Lepus townsendii are found in south-central Canada and much of the northern and central United States west of the Great Lakes. Preferred habitat is open grassland. Mass ranges from 3 to 4 kg.
• Antelope jackrabbits Lepus alleni are found in Mexico along the eastern shores of the Gulf of California, and southern Arizona. They live on grassy slopes with patchy brush. These are the largest of the jackrabbits, with mass ranging from 2.7 to 4.7 kg.
• White-sided jackrabbits Lepus callotis are found in central Mexico, in grassy plains on high plateaus and table-lands. Mass typically varies from 2 to 3 kg.
• European hares Lepus europaeus are found across nearly all of Europe east of the Pyrenees except the extreme north, Turkey, and much of central Asia. They have been introduced to England, Scotland, and Wales, New Zeeland, Australia's east coast, Tasmania, Argentina and Chile, and some areas near North America's Great Lakes. Mass ranges from about 3 to 5 kg.
• The Iberian hare Lepus granatensis is found in Iberia.
• The Italian hare Lepus corsicanus lives in central and southern Italy, Sicily, and Corsica.
• The Cape hare Lepus capensis is found in Africa in areas of open land, as well as Arabia and parts of central Asia. Mass is typically around 4 to 5 kg.
• The scrub hare Lepus saxatilis is found in Africa's Cape region, typically in scrub and savanna environments. Mass varies from 1.5 to 4.5 kg.
• The desert hare Lepus tibetanus is found in grassland, scrub, desert, and semi-desert in north-west China, nearly hugging the northern border with Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
• The Tolai hare Lepus tolai has a range that stretches east to west across central Asia, butting up against the east coast of the Caspian sea and stretching east, skirting just north of the northern Chinese border through Mongolia until it spills down into eastern China.
• The Yunnan hare Lepus comus is native to the Yunnan region of China.
• The Korean hare Lepus coreanus is found in the Koreas in many different habitats. Mass ranges from 2.1 to 2.6 kg.
• The Manchurian hare Lepus mandshuricus is found in the Manchurian region of northeastern China, North Korea, and the Amur region of China and Siberia. Some have a very dark coloration. Average mass is about 2 kg.
• The African savanna hare Lepus microtis is found in the savannas of Africa, from the Sahel to the Cape.
• The Indian hare Lepus nigricollis is found throughout India and Bangladesh, as well as Sri Lanka and parts of Pakistan and Burma. It has been introduced to Java, Mauritius, and Seychelles. It lives in interspered grassy areas with brush or jungle, preferably at the base of hills. A patch of black fur is found on the nape of the neck. Mass varies from about 1.5 kg to 7 kg.
• The Burmese hare Lepus peguensis ranges from Burma in the west to Cambodia in the east.
• The wooly hare Lepus oiostolus is found in the Tibetan Plateau in steppeland, grassland, grassy marshes, shrubland, forest, and farms. Unusually for hares, wooly hares are diurnal. Average mass is about 2.3 kg, ranging from about 1.5 to 3 kg.
• The Chinese hare Lepus sinensis is from the southern coastal lowlands of China and the island of Taiwan.
• The Yarkand hare Lepus yarkandensis is found in temperate forests of far western China.
• The Japanese hare Lepus brachyurus is found throughout Japan, the Koreas, and parts of Russia and China, typically in mountanous or hilly areas.
• The Abyssinian hare Lepus habessinicus is from the Horn of Africa.

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