Irish hare

International name: Mountain hare

Scientific name: Lepus timidus hibernicus

Irish name: Giorria sléibhe Éireannach

Diet: Herbivore

Size: 50-65cm long

Tips on how to find them: Can be found throughout Ireland in various habitats; smaller than the introduced brown hare; mainly nocturnal, but can be seen during the day in spring (the breeding season); does not live in burrows like rabbits, but forms shallow depressions in sheltered areas above ground; Rathlin Island in the north is a good place to find a particularly rare variant of the species – the golden hare.

Although the Irish hare is currently classified as a subspecies of the mountain hare, there is increasing evidence (e.g., it has many unique genetic characteristics not shared with any other hare species in Europe) that it should be given full species status (Lepus hibernicus).