If left to their own devices, brown hares can lead a peaceful existence hopping around the beautiful British countryside. These characterful  little herbivores require a lot of food, including grasses, herbs, twigs, buds, bark, and field crops. They rely on heightened senses to detect predators and once disturbed can reach speeds of up to a whopping 45mph using their powerful long limbs, making them the UK’s fastest land mammal.

Their preference is for a varied landscape that includes both farmland and woodland, as it offers them ample food and a place to rest and take cover. They shelter in ‘forms’, which are shallow depressions in the ground, and often use agricultural vehicle tracks to navigate the rural landscape.