Brown hare and Irish hare.

Abstract

Brown hares are open country animals that were originally adapted to the grassland steppe that occurs north and east of the Black Sea. Closely related species, with similar ecology, are found on the African savannah and American prairie. With the spread of European farming from the Levant across to the Atlantic seaboard and the woodland clearance that accompanied it, a new steppe-like landscape was created. This suited the brown hare better than it did the other north European hare, the mountain hare, which is better adapted to uplands, scrub and woodland fringes. Brown hares were probably brought to Britain in late Iron Age or during Roman times, when our countryside was dominated by mixed farming.
The Irish hare is a native sub-species of mountain hare that is found throughout the uplands and lowlands of Ireland. Irish hares are the only native lagomorph in Ireland, though brown hares have been introduced for sporting purposes and are common in some localised areas. Numbers of Irish hares are believed to have declined markedly through the 20th century. The habitat requirements of the Irish hare are broadly similar to those of the brown hare and there is a general understanding of factors that may have caused a decline in numbers. Habitat management could enable a population recovery, if it is well targeted.