Hare, the common name of a small animal with long ears, long hind limbs, by which it moves in long leaps, a short tail and soft hair. The hare is distinguished from the rabbit by the fact that the former does not burrow, but builds nests in the ground, where the young are born. The common hare is found throughout Europe and in some parts of Asia. It is tawny red or brown on the back and white on the belly and is about two feet long. The mountain hare, or varying hare confined to Northern Europe and the mountainous regions of the South, is smaller than the common hare and becomes white in winter. The American hare, not much larger than a rabbit, is found in most parts of North America. In North America there are also the polar hare, a variety of the varying hare, but of superior size and purer color, and the prairie hare, known as the jack-rabbit, from its size and length of limb. The hare, which has no courage and little cunning, is protected from its enemies mainly by its sharp sight and hearing and its extraordinary fleetness. Its voice is never heard except when the animal is seized or wounded. It then utters a sharp, loud cry, not very unlike that of a child. Its flesh is rather dry, but it is much prized because of its peculiar flavor. Some domestic species, such as the Belgian hare, are raised in large numbers for market.