With the Easter holiday on Sunday, we were reminded of this viral clip of a mountain hare who made a dashing escape through a avalanche triggered by a snowboarder on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. By some miracle this little bunny rabbit remained on top of the avalanche flow and hot stepped his way to safety. Happy Easter!
About Mountain Hares:
Mountain hares (Lepus timidus) in Russia and Northern Asia are well adapted to some of the harshest alpine and subarctic environments in the world. Found across Siberia and in mountainous regions such as the Altai and Caucasus, these hares are known for their seasonal camouflage, turning brown or gray in summer and molting to a nearly pure white coat in winter to blend into snow-covered terrain.
They thrive in cold, open landscapes including tundra, alpine meadows and sparse forests, where they rely on speed and keen awareness to evade predators like foxes, lynx and birds of prey. Unlike rabbits, mountain hares do not burrow but instead rest in shallow depressions in the ground, called forms, which provide minimal shelter but allow for quick escape.
In winter, when food is scarce, they feed on bark, twigs and hardy vegetation, while in warmer months they graze on grasses and herbs. Their ability to survive extreme cold, deep snow and limited resources makes them one of the most resilient small mammals in Russia’s mountainous regions.
