Snowshoe Hare

Observations: In the wild, these animals do not generally live more than 3 years and most die within their first year of life. Potential longevity has been estimated at 5 years (Ronald Nowak 1999). One wild born specimen was about 5.4 years of age when it died in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005). Anecdotal reports of animals living up to 8 years have not been confirmed. Further studies are necessary to better estimate the maximum longevity of this species.