Oitr Liviiii^ Rf sources — Alaska 



J59 



The tundra or Arctic hare {Lepus otims: sys- 

 tematic studies are being conducted because 

 some researchers classify the hare as Lepus 

 timidiis) now has a restricted distribution in 

 western Alaska (Figure). It occurs in tundra 

 habitats and also in shrub communities along 

 streams. Its primary foods are willows, grasses, 

 and herbaceous plants. Indigenous people, par- 

 ticularly in the coastal tundra of the Yukon- 

 Kuskokwim Delta regions, the Seward 

 Peninsula, and the Kotzebue Sound drainages. 

 have a long history of using the tundra hare for 

 food and clothing. The hare has declined in 

 number throughout much of its range: biolo- 

 gists do not know what has caused its reduced 

 distribution or the decrease in numbers. 



Distribution Records 



We obtained information on the former and 

 present distribution and numbers of the tundra 

 hare from historical records and reports and 

 from interviews of state and federal wildlife 

 biologists and local residents (Bee and Hall 

 I956rMurie 1959: Anderson 1974). Biologists 

 conducted limited reconnaissance surveys on 

 the Alaska Peninsula during 1990 and 1991, in 

 the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region in 1973, 

 and on the Seward Peninsula and in the 

 Kotzebue region dunng 1985, 1986, and 1993. 

 Field surveys continue on the Seward Peninsula 

 arid near Kotzebue. along with studies of the 

 habitat requirements of these hares. A mail sur- 

 vey to determine population status throughout 

 their distribution is being initiated through the 

 University of Alaska-Fairbanks. 



Status 



Historically, the tundra hare was present in 

 the Alaskan Arctic north of the Brooks Range 

 (the "North Slope") from the Colville River 

 westward (Bee and Hall 1956). but there have 

 been no records of hares in that reaion since 



1951 (Figure). Circumstantial evidence sug- 

 gests that the tundra hare may have declined 

 after the arrival of the snowshoe hare (Lepus 

 lunericanus), which was not present there early 

 in this century. The relationship may be direct 

 thixHigh food or parasites and disease, or indi- 

 rect through increased numbers of predators 

 during snowshoe hare population highs. 



The northern limit of tundra hare distribu- 

 tion in the coastal area of western Alaska has 

 shrunk southward, and the hare is now absent or 

 extremely rare north of Kotzebue. Centers of 

 abundance are the western Seward Peninsula 



Tundra or 

 Arctic Hares 



by 



David R. Klein 

 National Biological Service 



Current distribution 



Historical distribution outside 

 of present range 



Tundra hare {Lepus othiis). 



and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, 

 although numbers have remained low there 

 since population highs in the 197()'s. 

 Throughout its southern distribution on the 

 Alaska Peninsula, tundra hare densities are cur- 

 rently low: high densities were last reported 

 there in the winter of 1953-54 (Schiller and 

 Rausch 1956). Researchers at the University of 

 Alaska-Fairbanks are attempting to explain rea- 

 sons for the tundra hare's decline. 



References 



Anderson. H.L. 1974. Natural history and systematics of the 



tundra hare {Lepus olhus Meiriam) in western Alaska. 



M.S. thesis. University of Alaska. Fairbanks. 106 pp. 

 Bee. J.W., and E.R. Hall. 1956. Mammals of northern 



Alaska. Miscellaneous Publ. 8. University of Kansas. 



Museum of Natural History, Lawrence. .^09 pp. 

 Murie. O.J. 1959. Fauna of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska 



Peninsula. North American Fauna Series 61. 406 pp. 

 Schiller, E.L., and R. Rausch. 1956. Mammals of the 



Katniai National Monument. Alaska. Arctic 9:191-201. 



Figure. Distribution of the tundra 

 hare, with historical records of 

 occurrence outside of its present 

 distribution. 



For further information: 



David R. Klein 



National Biological Service 



Cooperative Fish and Wildlife 



Research Unit 



University of Alaska-Fairbanks 



Fairbanks, AK 99775 



