Mountain hare makes most of snow to let good times roll
THE ice has melted across much of the Scotland but this mountain hare looks like it really has gone mad for March as it rolls in the snow.
Wildlife photographer Kate Macrae braved the sub zero temperatures of the Highlands to get these pictures of the unusual behaviour. She had gone to the Findhorn Valley when she spotted the hares and at first thought they had slipped. But as she took pictures, she realised they were rolling in the snow.
Ms Macrae, 50, from Lichfield, Staffordshire, who blogs as Wildlife Kate, said: “This hare ran across the plateau in front of me and then suddenly it was upside down, legs in the air. I thought it had slipped at first and the images I captured looked like it had.
“In fact, the dense fur on their large feet ensure they are sure-footed, even in the most treacherous of conditions.
“The mountain hare often roll in the snow in this way. Some [experts] think it is for scent marking, others suggest it is to help keep the coat in good condition, in the same way that other animals may dust bathe.
“It is certainly essential to keep their coats in tip-top condition because with temperatures, with windchill, reaching near -20°C, these coats are their key to survival.”
Mountain hares differ from the more common brown hares by getting a white coat for the winter.
They go through three changes during the year. From October to January they go from brown with a greyish blue twinge to almost full white. From February until May their coats become a mottled brown and white before reverting to the full summer brown with a white tail.