In autumn, the brown hairs gradually fall out and white hairs replace them. A complete change takes about 10 weeks. Cold temperatures and ground color have nothing to do with the pelt's color change. During molt, the pituitary shuts off pigment production in the new fur, which therefore grows in white. In spring, lengthening days trigger the reverse of this process.
Snowshoes have excellent hearing and big ears to catch sounds.
Eyes are located on the sides of the skull, providing limited depth perception but covering a wide field of view. A hare may stand erect on its hind legs to see or hear better. Should a predator threaten, a hare can burst out of a relaxed, sitting position into a dead run. It can race up to 30 miles an hour over ground or snow, leap 10 feet in one bound, dodge with agility and swim if forced into water. Unlike cottontails, hares rarely hole up when running before hounds.