Mills Winter Hare Video (VIDEO)
Caption
These snowshoe hares are from a polymorphic population in Washington state, where both the brown and white winter forms coexist in what the authors consider to be a 'hotspot for evolutionary rescue from climate change.' Here we see how winter brown and winter white hares show striking differences in camouflage when snow is absent, with the brown forms better matched against snowless ground. Hares were filmed at a captive facility at the University of Montana, specifically designed to mimic the natural environment and to allow researchers to monitor the precise timing of seasonal coat color molts and individual responses to camouflage mismatch. Different hares are recognized using special hair dyes applied on their ears.
Credit
Video footage taken by Jaco and Lindsey Barnard
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License
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