Wildlife in the Alps coping with winter: Part 3 – Turning White

One of my most favourite examples of how well animals in the Alps are adapted to their environment is the mountain hare (Lepus timidus). It’s adaptations to winter conditions are phenomenal.

A snow hare’s fur

Although various shades of brown in summer, mountain hares turn white for winter, giving them a perfect camouflage in our snowy mountains and making them incredibly difficult for predators to spot. But this extraordinary change in colour is not the only adaptation in its fur to make life in a wintry environment easier. Extra hairs on its paws make the surface of its feet bigger to prevent the hare from sinking into the snow: it’s like the mountain hare is walking on snowshoes!

A natural igloo

Its insulating winter coat also proves to be very useful during a snow storm. As soon as a mountain hare is surprised by a blizzard, he remains motionless at the same spot. In a few minutes or hours, depending on how hard it snows, a small natural ‘igloo’ will form around the animal. This way the snow hare, protected by a layer of snow and its thick winter coat, can wait motionless for hours for calmer weather to arrive without getting cold.

Other animals that turn white  

The mountain hare is not the only species in the Alpes that changes into a living snowball in winter. Stoats (Mustela erminea) and rock ptarmigans (Lagopus muta) also turn white during the winter months. However, all three species keep a small black tuft which they use for communicating with each other. Both stoats and rock ptarmigans have black tips on their tails, while a mountain hare has black tips on its ears.

To be continued…

This blog is part of a series in which I discuss some of the extraordinary strategies and adaptations of wildlife coping with winter in the Alps:

• Introduction
• Hibernation
• Animals turning white
• Life underneath the snow 
• Surviving on food storage 
• Vertical Migration 
• Coping strategies of ibex, chamois and deer 

• Author
• Recent Posts

Simone van Velzen

In her work as an alpine naturalist Simone adds an exciting new dimension to your Tour du Mont Blanc trek with insights into the incredibly rich flora and fauna of the Alps. Simone studied Wildlife Management at the Van Hall Institute in the Netherlands. After her studies she left her home country (which is flatter than a pancake) and moved to British Columbia. In the Canadian Rockies, she discovered the astonishing richness of mountain environments. Her passion for mountain nature was born. And when she returned to Europe, she based herself in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, the perfect setting for exploring and studying the natural history of mountain environments. As an alpine naturalist she writes for outdoor magazines and leads excursions in the natural world.

If you step into the natural world with Simone, her passion for all living things—wild flowers to lichen, birds to mammals—can’t help but rub off on you. She’s excited to meet you on your Tour du Mont Blanc and share the amazing natural wonders in the Alps.

Latest posts by Simone van Velzen (see all)

• The Alps: A Biodiversity Treasure Trove - December 10, 2020
• Flora in the Alps – Spotlight on the Alpenrose - June 25, 2020
• Tour du Mont Blanc Hightlight: The Contamines-Montjoie Nature Reserve - May 21, 2020