Threatened by climate change
Alpine hare voted “Animal of the Year”.
Updated on December 2nd, 2024Reading time: 2 minutes
Completely white in winter, gray-brown in summer: the mountain hare changes its appearance over the course of the year. Now the shapeshifter has been voted “Animal of the Year”.
He is the chameleon among hares: the mountain hare changes its fur color depending on the environment. In winter, when its habitat in the mountains is covered by snow, it wears a white winter coat; in summer, when plants grow there, it camouflages itself in a gray-brown coat – only the tips of its ears always remain black. Now the donors of the German Wildlife Foundation have chosen the rabbit as “Animal of the Year” for 2025.
This draws attention to a fascinating and extremely rare animal species, explained Klaus Hackländer, wildlife biologist and board member of the foundation. Attention is the basis for effective protection. The Alpine hare (Lepus timidus varronis) is extremely rare in Germany. But there is hardly any data, says the German Wildlife Foundation. That's why next year she will begin to systematically record the occurrence of the hare.
One thing is clear: In Germany, the hare only lives in a small area in the Alps, at an altitude of more than 1,300 meters. People very rarely see him – no matter what time of year. If it is discovered in summer, observers might mistake it for a brown hare, even though it is smaller and its ears are significantly shorter. Because the legs and ears are shorter, less heat is lost.
The hare doesn't just change its fur to be better camouflaged in winter. The white winter hair is also filled with air and is particularly good at insulating, and it also has a fine undercoat. If a lot of snow comes from the sky, the Alpine snow hare likes to be covered in snow or dig small snow caves. Like an igloo, it is warmer inside than outside. He only leaves himself a small duct to breathe.
The German Wildlife Foundation points out that climate change is making it difficult for rabbits to survive. This causes the snowfall line to shift upwards, which reduces the animals' habitat. People on skis or snowshoes also bothered the rabbits. If the animals were stressed, they could die, said Hackländer. “Snow hares need calm alpine areas.” Winter sports enthusiasts should not leave the slopes and cross-country ski trails.
Most recently, the brown-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus), common porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), otter (Lutra lutra) and mole (Talpa europaea) were the “animals of the year”.
