Related but Not the Same

It’s easy to confuse rabbits and hares. They have a lot in common. Plus they’re
related. Both rabbits and hares are in the family of animals called Leporidae, but
they are different species. How different are they? Read on to get the scoop.

Rabbits
A rabbit has two long ears and a short, fluffy tail. This mammal
can be found in almost all climates and often lives in places with
forests or shrubs. It eats plants, barks, and fruits. A rabbit eats and
plays from dusk (when day changes into night) to dawn (when
sunlight starts to appear). It spends the day resting.

The female rabbit, called a doe, often digs an underground

© Can Stock Photo / Stevemc
burrow or makes a nest  in a hole in the ground. She lines the
burrow or nest with fur. This is where she has her babies, or kits. Rabbit babies
are born without fur, so the fur in the nest helps keep them warm until they grow
their own coats. The babies are also blind and helpless.

Rabbits tend to hide from their enemies, which include people, snakes, owls,
and foxes. At first, they may try to sit still and wait for the enemy to go away.
However, if the enemy gets too close, a rabbit will try to get away. It may zigzag as
it hops off, or it may dive into a burrow to hide. Rabbits get tired quickly.

Hares
A hare looks a lot like a rabbit. It too has two long
ears and a short, fluffy tail. Hares tend to be larger than
rabbits, and their ears are longer too. This mammal
often lives in open spaces, like prairies or deserts. Like
rabbits, hares look for food at night and dawn, and they
© Can Stock Photo / SoruEpotok
sleep during the day.

Female hares, called jills, give birth on the ground or in a scratched-out area
called a form. Newborn hares, called leverets, have fur when they are born. They
can see right away too.

Enemies of hares include coyotes, eagles, bobcats, and foxes. When an enemy
approaches, a hare tries to escape. Most hares are fast, so they hop away rather
than sit still.

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Related but Not the Same

Use the passage on the other page to answer each question.
Circle the best answer.

1. True or false? Rabbits and hares 5. Which animal uses its quickness to
are the same animal. flee its enemies right away?
A. true A. rabbit
B. false B. hare

2. True or false? Both rabbits and 6. Where do female hares give birth
hares are active in the evening and to  their young?
rest during the day. A. underground, in burrows or
A. true nests
B. false B. above ground or in a scratched-
out area called a form

3. True or false? Both female rabbits
and hares are called does. 7. Which animal often makes its home
A. true near forests or shrubs?

B. false A. rabbit
B. hare
4. How are rabbit babies different than
hare babies? 8. Based on the reading, what enemy
A. Rabbit babies have hair and can do rabbits and hares have in
see. common?

B. Rabbit babies do not have hair A. people

and cannot see. B. foxes

Write and Explain

How did the author organize the reading? Did you find this helpful?
Why or why not?
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