Question: if hairs don't dig under ground, where do they sleep

Anthony Caravaggi answered on 13 Jun 2014:

Hi Chloe. That’s a very good question. I work with hares, so hopefully I’ll be able to give you a good answer.

Rabbits, as you know, dig burrows underground, where they live with lots of other rabbits in what we call a ‘warren’. Hares sleep above ground, usually in fields with long grasses, rushes, and other tall plants. They’ll also sleep (we use the phrase ‘lie-up’ because we don’t know if they’re really sleeping or just sitting there) underneath hedges, or in wooded areas. Some hares turn white in the winter to make it harder spot them in the snow, like the Scottish mountain hares and a few (not many) Irish hares. These hares can rest right out in the open if they’re brave enough, though it would be a foolish hare indeed which took such a risk.

Though hares don’t dig burrows underground, they do often scratch shallow bowls into the ground. We call these bowls ‘forms’. The hare will rest in a form, and this is also where the baby hares (which we call ‘leverets’) are born and hide, though they don’t stay there long. Baby rabbits (‘kits’) are blind and have no fur when they’re born as they’re safe and warm underground. Baby hares aren’t so safe, so are furry and have their eyes open when they’re born, and can move about not long after.