European hare

The European hare is predominantly nocturnal and solitary except for during the mating season. When threatened, it relies on its tan-coloured coat to camouflage itself, lying motionless on the ground. Only as a last resort will it attempt to run away. It can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h over a short distance and, by means of sudden changes of direction, it can shake off a predator. The European hare is strictly vegetarian. As a mammal, it is unable to digest fibres and consequently it has developed various strategies for deriving energy and essential nutrients from its plant-based diet that would otherwise have been wasted. For example, the European hare produces two types of faeces. Faeces made in the appendix that still contains vitamins and protein is usually consumed directly after being excreted. The second type of faeces, typically hard in form, is what remains on the ground. In this way, the hare is able to re-digest and thus retain nutrients, including vitamin B12, which is produced by intestinal bacteria but then directly excreted. Hares are unable to produce vitamin B12 themselves or absorb it from their diet. Intensive farming in Germany is considered one of the most important contributing factors to the sharp decline of the European hare since 1980. Conventionally farmed fields do not offer the hares a substantial enough diversity of fare. In Germany, the population of European hares is estimated at around 1.2 to 3 million.