Social organization of snowshoe hares

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Abstract
Snowshoe hares, Lepus americanus, showed various stereotyped agonistic behaviours in both penned and wild populations. Male hares were involved more frequently and in more intense interactions than females. Hares displayed dominance hierarchies in pens, at feeding stations in the wild, and in a completely natural situation. Males were most dominant in the winter, but females were most dominant during the summer breeding season. It is suggested that the switch in dominance occurred because of changes in the approach behaviour of males towards females. In view of the aggression exhibited by this species, further investigation of behavioural population regulation hypotheses is warranted.

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