Why do hares go mad in March

A.� March madness is due to the start of the hare's breeding season when this usually inconspicuous animal, the brown hare (Lepus europaeus), suddenly engages in a number of impressive courtship activities. The breeding season actually starts in February in the warmer south and gets progressively later in the cooler north.

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Q.� What are the signs of 'madness'

A.� Mainly high-speed chases, up to 45 mph normally used for evading predators, between males. The chases establish which of the males are dominant and so who mates with reproductively ready females

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Another spring induced behaviour is boxing. The matches take place between an alpha buck (the top male) and non-receptive does (females). The two hares rise onto their back legs and punch each other with their front paws. The matches are a means for the female, who starts the matches, to determine the prowess of her proposed mate and to let him know she's not yet ready to mate. If the buck puts up a good fight he'll be allowed to mate with the does once she is ready.

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Q.� What do hares do for the rest of the year

A.� Brown hares are normally nocturnal animals, usually only becoming active after dusk. Hares spend much of the day resting in a 'form', a depression in the vegetation, which provides shelter from the weather and protection from predators.

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Q.� Where can I see hares in the UK

A.� Brown hares are quite abundant in East Anglia, parts of eastern England, Wiltshire, Berkshire and eastern Scotland. There scarcity in the rest of the UK is partly due to the presence of mountain hares in more upland areas and partly because of population decline caused by modern farming practices, such as the conversion of grasslands to arable land.

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Q.� What do hares eat

A.� In the summer, mainly herbs, in the winter mainly grasses. When their normal foods become scarce they will also feed on cereal and root crops, and, if things are very bad, they may eat animal corpses

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Q.� What are baby hares called

A.� Leverets, and a doe usually gives birth to up to�four of them after a gestation period of�six weeks. The leverets are normally weaned after one month.

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by Lisa Cardy