Edges of the ears are blackish. In summer the coat is grayish brown above and white below, with a whitish base to the hairs. The tail is entirely white. The gestation period is 36 to 37 days. The second litter, in years of increasing abundance, often averages six young, and occasionally there is a third litter.
Females breed immediately after the birth of a litter.
In a day or two they are wandering about the nest, and in less than two weeks will be eating green vegetation. They nurse for about a month. The color pattern of the young snowshoe is similar to the summer pattern of adults. Breeding habits of the Alaskan hare are similar, but the reproductive season usually begins later, and there is probably only one litter per year. The leverets are darker than the adults with a black tinge to their fur.