The diet of the Irish hare Lepus timidus hibernicus Bell, 1837, was investigated in western Ireland by analysis of faeces collected each month for a year from 3 areas of blanket bog, 1 of rough grassland and 1 of machair. A wide range of plant species was eaten but the main foods throughout the year were grasses and sedges on bog, and grasses at the other 2 sites, with sedges a minor food. Forbs were also important on machair, the study area where they were most plentiful. Shrubs (mainly Calluna vulgaris but Thymus praecox on machair) were an ancillary food everywhere, especially in winter, when they provided an otherwise scarce source of live tissue. Because there was no snow cover, however, shrubs did not dominate forage in winter as they do in other parts of the range of L. timidus. Seasonal variation in the diet and apparent food preferences are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.