In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Snowshoe Hare in 8 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.
The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.
Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.
At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Snowshoe Hare.
Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.
How to Draw a Snowshoe Hare - Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1: Draw an oval with a gap in the bottom. Draw a similarly shaped curve to the side of it.
Step 2: Draw a curve that goes down and to the side of the oval. Draw a semicircle on the opposite side beneath the oval.
Step 3: Draw a seed-like shape in the top-middle of the head and a small triangle at the middle of the semicircle for a nose.
Step 4: Draw a long hook that goes from the back of the head then turns down.
Step 5: Using the image as a guide, draw a line at the end of the hook that goes back and down, then curves into a foot, then angles back towards the front of the body, and finally curves under it.
Step 6: Draw a curve under the leg, and another between the leg and belly, for the second hind leg.
Step 7: Make a line that curves down from the belly, and then goes back up.
Step 8: Create a curve shape similar to the previous one that connects to the head. Done!
Interesting Facts about Snowshoe Hares
Snowshoe Hares are very important food sources to the Canada and Pacific Northwest of the United States. They are big footed rabbits that have strong back legs to help them escape predators. Snowshoe Hares like to live in open fields, bogs, tree lines, and farmland. They eat grass, flowers, wild fruit, and during the winter they eat tree bark. Snowshoe Hares are a light brown color during the summer, but come winter, their fur changes to white with black tips on its ears and eyes. Their back feet make it easy for them to move over deep snow. The greatest weapon a Snowshoe Hare has is its ability to hide in plain sight. When they see a predator, they first stop moving and wait for the wolf, bobcat, or fox to pass them by. Sometimes they are discovered and they have to make a break for it!
Did you know?
- Snowshoe Hares move around and eat at dawn and dusk. That way they can hide when the predators come out to eat.
- Because so many things eat the Snowshoe Hare, people have tried to breed the hares to release them back to the wild. Some make it, but most don’t.
- A Snowshoe Hare lives 5 years in the wild (if it is lucky.) The average lifespan is about a year.
- Snowshoe Hares will eat dead animals! Sometimes in groups!
- Snowshoe Hares are great swimmers; it helps them get away from predators.
Lesson Plan Note: Snowshoe Hares are the poster children for nature’s camouflage. For a week cover animals that use camouflage as a way to hide from predators. This could include butterflies, lizards, or even sloths.
How to Draw a Snowshoe Hare – Step-by-Step Tutorial