Wild Rabbit or Leveret?
A Rabbit and a Hare are both basically the same shape with long ears and twitching noses but, as you will see, the fur texture and colouring is quite different between the Rabbit and Leveret. The ears both inner and outer are also quite different in colouring and shape. Both have white tummy fur but there is even a difference there; the rabbits tummy fur has a fine grey lower layer where the leverets tummy fur is pure white.
After studying them both for some years I have come to the conclusion that there is a fool proof way to distinguish a Wild Rabbit form a Leveret (Hare) Look closely at their nostrils, all rabbits have beige fur and pink skin where leverets have dark fur and black skin!
A Rabbit and a Hare are both basically the same shape with long ears and twitching noses but, as you will see, the fur texture and colouring is quite different between the Rabbit and Leveret. The ears both inner and outer are also quite different in colouring and shape. Both have white tummy fur but there is even a difference there; the rabbits tummy fur has a fine grey lower layer which remains the same throughout it's life where as the leverets tummy fur will be white with a grey lower layer until he is around 10 -16 days old when it then grows through to pure white.
| Rabbit | Hare (Leveret) |
|---|---|
 Wild Rabbit 'Kitten' 1-2 days old. Short velvety fur - eyes closed - front teeth present. |
 Leveret (Hare) 1-3 days old Fully furred - eyes open - front teeth present. |
 Wild rabbit 9-12 days old. |
 Leveret 14-18 days old. |
 Rabbit 9-12 days old. Eyes open between day 7-10. |
 Leveret 20-25 days old. |
All images credit Susan Sroka.