Schneehase Bremen

In its alpine form the mountain hare is a true high-mountain animal. Its range extends from the upper tree line through the dwarf pine belt up into the alpine meadows and the rocky zone. In Germany it occurs only in the Bavarian Alps above roughly 1,300 metres, in Austria and Switzerland it is present at similar elevations along the entire Alpine arc. It prefers transition zones in which mountain forest, Latschen pine, and open alpine pasture are tightly interwoven so that food and cover lie close together. By day the hare rests well camouflaged in a Sasse between rocks, dwarf pines, or low shrubs and is mainly active at dawn, dusk, and during the night.

The most striking feature of the Alpenschneehase is its twice-yearly moult. In spring, roughly from March to May, the white winter coat is replaced by a grey-brown summer coat, in autumn from October to November the animal moults back into a pure white winter pelage. Only the tips of the ears stay black, and the tail, the Blume, remains entirely white year-round, which distinguishes the mountain hare from the brown hare. The dense underfur and long air-filled guard hairs of the winter coat insulate so effectively that energy loss is markedly lower than in summer. Body shape is adapted to the habitat as well, with shorter ears and shorter hind legs than the brown hare and densely furred paws that work like snowshoes and prevent sinking in soft snow.

The mountain hare is one of the most prominent losers of climate change in the Alps. Rising temperatures, shorter and more irregular snow cover, and the brown hare moving up into elevations previously occupied only by the mountain hare increase the pressure of competition and hybridisation. When the white winter coat is already in place but no snow has yet fallen, camouflage breaks down and predation pressure rises. In Germany the Alpenschneehase is listed as extremely rare on the Red List of mammals, and in Bavaria it is subject to hunting law but protected year-round. The Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung named it Animal of the Year 2025. In Austria and Switzerland a limited harvest in autumn and early winter is still permitted, the Swiss closed season runs from 1 January to 30 September, and individual cantons further restrict the open season or protect the species year-round. Hunting the mountain hare belongs to classic high-mountain hunting, the Hochgebirgsjagd. It is physically demanding, done on foot in steep terrain, and counted among the most traditional and most responsibility-laden forms of Alpine hunting.