Very much like the white-tailed jack rabbit, except the ears are not
over 3 inches in length, and the coloration is more buffy-gray in
summer. Changes to a thick, pure white coat in winter with only the
tips of the ears remaining black. Total length 17 inches.
The snowshoe rabbit has gained its name from the hair covering the long
toes and large feet. These "snowshoes" enable the animals to travel over
the lightest snow crusts without sinking out of sight. Its wonderful
protective coloration both in summer and winter, combined with a
bounding jump which can carry it up to thirty miles an hour, provide
this hare with means of evading some of its numerous predators. It is
fairly common in the subalpine forests and tundra country both in summer
and winter. The snowshoe hare has also been called the varying hare
because of the molting or changing of coats with each winter and summer
season.