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The European brown hare (Lepus capensis) was introduced to Australia in the 19th century and has since become a pest animal that negatively impacts agriculture and the environment. They are primarily herbivores and their diet consists of leaves, stems, rhizomes, and dry and green grasses. They also eat fruits, vegetables, and melons, and in winter, they gnaw on the bark of trees and bushes.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet | Leaves, stems, rhizomes of dry and green grasses, bark, fruits, vegetables, melons, roots of shrubs, plant stems, soil, meat |
| Habitat | Open country with tussock or rocks, long grass, rocks, logs, branches, agricultural and urban areas |
| Status | Introduced species, pests, game animal |
| Predators | Foxes, feral/domestic cats, feral/domestic pigs, dingoes, quolls, goannas, wedge-tailed eagles |
| Breeding Season | January to August, with most young born in spring and early summer |
| Reproduction Rate | Up to five litters of two to four young per year |
| Eradication | Shooting, not susceptible to myxomatosis or RHDV1, do not take poison baits |
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What You'll Learn
Hares are primarily herbivores
In the spring, when there is a deficiency of mineral salts, hares may eat soil or swallow stones. They also eat the young shoots of shrubs and damage the roots of these plants. In the summer, their diet consists of plant foods such as herbs, dandelions, cereals, mountain ash, blueberries, and mushrooms. They will also eat crops such as cabbage and onions if they are accessible in fields or gardens.
In the autumn, hares feed on the branches of bushes and, in the winter, they move closer to human settlements to find food. During this season, they are less well-nourished and will eat the bark of trees and shrubs, such as willow, aspen, and birch.
Hares have been introduced to Australia, and are considered pests that pose a serious threat to agriculture and the environment. They can cause damage to seedlings, orchards, and crops. In Australia, hares eat the bark of trees and vines in orchards and vineyards, as well as the leaves, stems, and rhizomes of dry and green grasses.
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They eat plant foods like herbs, dandelions, cereals, etc
In Australia, the first wild populations of hares were recorded on the shores of Victoria's Western Port Bay in 1862. By 1870, European hares had spread throughout south-east Australia, and by 1900, they had reached the Queensland border. Today, hares are primarily found in the grasslands, woodlands, agricultural areas, and urban regions of Victoria.
Hares are primarily herbivores, and their diet consists of plant foods like herbs, dandelions, and cereals. They also eat the leaves, stems, and rhizomes of dry and green grasses. Hares are considered vegetarians, but there have been instances of them consuming the meat of partridges caught in hunting traps. They feed on the roots and bark of trees, leaves, and stems of plants, vegetables, and fruits. In agricultural fields, they may eat crops, fruits, and vegetables, causing damage to seedlings, orchards, and horticultural crops.
Hares are known to have a preference for high-energy foods and will opt for these over crude dietary fiber. They are also coprophagial, consuming their faecal pellets to recover undigested proteins and vitamins. During the winter, when food is scarce, hares will eat the bark of trees and bushes, particularly those of oak, maple, and broom. They may also eat berries and hay obtained from haystacks near villages.
In the summer, hares' diets vary, and they feed on cereals and sedges, as well as corn, wheat, and barley in the fields. They are attracted to open farmland with longer grass, such as dairy country, and can live in wet conditions. Hares are adaptable and will travel up to four kilometres a day in search of food.
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They also eat fruits and vegetables
Hares are primarily herbivores, and their diet varies depending on the season and their habitat. They are known to eat the green parts of plants, including leaves, stems, and rhizomes of dry and green grasses. In addition to these plant foods, hares also consume fruits and vegetables.
In agricultural fields, hares have been observed to eat crops, including fruits, vegetables, and melons. They have a preference for high-energy foodstuffs and will strip the bark off twigs to access the vascular tissues, which store soluble carbohydrates. While they usually avoid cereal crops when other food options are available, they do eat cereals and sedges in the summer.
Hares have been known to damage orchards and vineyards by gnawing on the bark of trees and vines. In the winter, they tend to move closer to human settlements and will feed on the bark of trees, such as willow, aspen, and birch. They may also eat berries and fruits that they can find under the snow.
In addition to their plant-based diet, hares sometimes eat their own faecal pellets, a behaviour known as coprophagy or caecotrophy, to recover undigested proteins and vitamins. They have also been known to eat meat on rare occasions, such as partridges caught in hunting traps.
Hares are considered pests in some parts of Australia due to their impact on agriculture and the environment. They were first introduced to the country in the 19th century and have since spread throughout most grassland areas, causing damage to crops, seedlings, and orchards.
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They damage seedlings, orchards, and crops
The European brown hare (Lepus capensis) is not generally considered a major pest of agriculture and the environment. However, in certain localised areas, they can wreak havoc by eating crops, destroying seedlings, and gnawing the bark off trees and vines in orchards, plantations, and vineyards.
Hares have been deemed pests in Australia, where they pose a serious threat to agricultural fields by eating fruits, vegetables, and melons. They also damage the roots of shrubs, eat leaves, young shoots, and plant stems. In winter, they gnaw on the bark of trees and bushes, and in spring, they may eat the soil to compensate for a deficiency in mineral salts.
In Australia, hares were first introduced in 1862 on the shores of Victoria's Western Port Bay. By 1870, they had spread throughout southeastern Australia, and by 1900, they had reached the Queensland border. Today, they are limited to southeastern Australia's temperate climate, but their presence continues to impact agriculture.
Hares are not easily controlled, as they do not take poison baits, and shooting is often the most effective method of population control. They are also vulnerable to predation by introduced animals, such as foxes, feral or domestic cats, and feral or domestic pigs, as well as native animals like dingoes, quolls, goannas, and wedge-tailed eagles.
Despite their classification as pests, some advocate for perceiving hares as a valuable resource rather than a feral nuisance. Hares are true game animals that add nobility to hunting in the areas they inhabit.
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They prefer high-energy foods
Hares are primarily herbivores. They are considered vegetarians, but there are rare instances of hares eating meat from trapped partridges. They prefer high-energy foods and will opt for these over crude dietary fibre. They eat the green parts of plants, including leaves, stems, rhizomes, and dry and green grasses. In agricultural fields, they eat fruits, vegetables, and melons, and damage crops.
In the wild, hares eat the roots and bark of trees, leaves, and stems of plants. They also eat young shoots of shrubs, and in the spring, when there is a deficiency of mineral salts, they eat soil and even swallow stones. In the summer, their diet includes herbs, dandelions, cereals, mountain ash, blueberries, and mushrooms. In the fall, they eat the branches of bushes, and in the winter, they eat the bark of trees such as willow, aspen, and birch.
Hares have been introduced to Australia and are now widespread in grasslands, woodlands, agriculture, and urban areas of Victoria. They prefer open country with longer grass, such as dairy country, and can live in wet conditions. They can travel up to four kilometres a day to feed. In Australia, hares are considered pests and pose a serious threat to agriculture and the environment. They can damage seedlings, orchards, and vineyards by eating and destroying crops and gnawing bark.
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Frequently asked questions
Hares are primarily herbivores. Their diet consists of leaves, stems, rhizomes, and dry and green grasses. They also eat fruits, vegetables, and melons, and have been known to eat seeds, roots, tubers, young grass, and even soil.
Yes, hares are considered pests in Australia, posing a serious threat to agricultural crops. They can damage seedlings, orchards, and vineyards by eating crops and stripping bark from trees and vines.
Hares are found throughout most grassland areas in Australia, particularly in southeastern Australia's temperate climate, which resembles the cool European and Central Asian climates from which they originate. They prefer open farmland with long grass and can also be found in urban areas.
Hares are typically controlled by shooting, as they are not susceptible to diseases like myxomatosis or rabbit haemorrhagic virus (RHDV1) and do not readily take poison baits.
