European hare

Lepus europaeus

Group: Small game
Size class: Small (under 10 kg)
Family: Leporidae

Range

Europe
South America
Oceania

Habitat

Farmland
Grassland

Range

Countries it is found in

54 countries

Albania
Andorra
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iran
Iraq

Range from:ASM Mammal Diversity Database, GBIF occurrence records — read 2026-08-05

Chapter 01

Overview

The European or brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is among the largest hares and is adapted to temperate open country. It is native to much of continental Europe, reaching 60°N and east into Central Asia, and is still extending its range into Siberia. It may have been introduced to Great Britain between 500 and 300 BCE, and has been introduced as a game animal to Ontario and New York State, to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, to the Falklands, Australia, both islands of New Zealand, the south Pacific coast of Russia and Ireland. The IUCN rates it least concern, but declines have been recorded across many areas since the 1960s, associated with agricultural intensification, climate change and increased predation. Farming has produced less diverse habitat than the hare prefers; green zones with more varied food sources have helped.

Chapter 02

Identification

The largest hare native to Europe: 55 to 65 cm head-to-body, a 7.5–14 cm tail, and 3.5–5 kg in weight. The ears run 9.4 to 11.0 cm from notch to tip, and the hind feet 14 to 16 cm. It is slenderer than the European rabbit, and its dark limb musculature is what gives it the stamina to run. It relies on high-speed endurance running rather than cover, with long powerful limbs and large nostrils to match.

Chapter 03

Behaviour

Primarily nocturnal, spending about a third of its active time foraging. By day it lies in a shallow depression in the ground called a form, only partly hidden. It can run at 70 km/h, and when a predator closes it relies on outrunning it in the open rather than going to ground. It is generally thought of as asocial but turns up in both large and small groups, and does not appear to be territorial, living in overlapping home ranges of around 300 hectares. Communication is largely visual: raised ears show interest, lowered ears warn others off. Generally nocturnal and shy, hares change their behaviour in spring, when they are active in daylight and chase one another about the fields. Diet is grasses and herbs, supplemented with twigs, buds, bark and field crops, particularly in winter. Natural predators are red foxes and large birds of prey.

Field data

Tracks

A photograph of real sign left by European hare. Prints vary with gait, ground and how long they have been there — treat this as one example, not a template.

Track photo:Георгий Виноградов (Georgy Vinogradov)CC BY

On the table

Meat & cooking

Table grade 5 of 55/5

Sold as meat in a legal market
Has a named traditional dish
Published way to handle and cook it
Eaten in more than one country
No known health advisory

Traditional preparations

Hasenpfeffer: The classic German marinated hare stew, the meat soured in wine and vinegar before braising and the sauce traditionally thickened with blood. Hasenpfeffer — Wikipedia
Jugged hare: Jugging is the old method: the jointed hare cooked slowly in a tightly covered vessel, historically standing in water, with the blood used to finish the sauce. Jugging — Wikipedia

Sources

Sources: European hare — Wikipedia — read 2026-08-05

Cross-reference