Normally a shy animal, the European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) changes its behaviour in spring, when hares can be seen in broad daylight chasing one another around meadows; this appears to be competition between males to attain dominance (and hence more access to breeding females). During this spring frenzy, hares can be seen "boxing"; one hare striking another with its paws. For a long time it had been thought that this was more inter-male competition, but closer observation has revealed that it is usually a female hitting a male; either to show that she is not yet quite ready to mate, or as a test of his determination. Hares bear their young above ground, in a form rather than a burrow; the young are adapted to this in being fully furred and with their eyes open at birth.
The related rabbits and cottontail rabbits differ from hares in having young that are born blind and hairless, and often in burrows underground. However, often the word "hare" refers to large members of the family Leporidae only. For a brief discussion of the differences between rabbits and "true" hares, see this website.
The hare in African folk tales is a trickster: some of the stories about the hare were retold among African slaves in America, and are the basis of the Brer Rabbit stories. (Note that the famous cartoon trickster Bugs Bunny is a jackrabbit, which is actually a species of hare.) The hare appears in English folklore in the saying "as mad as a March hare".
Many cultures, including the Japanese, see a hare in the pattern of craters in the moon (see Man in the Moon). The constellation Lepus represents a hare.
