Baby hares are called leverets until they are 1 year old. Unlike baby rabbits, they are born with their eyes open and have fur at birth. They are able to leave the nest soon after birth and are weaned and independent after 1 month.
While baby rabbits are normally born in burrows, leverets are born in above-ground nests known as forms. Hares' maturity at birth is an adaptation to this lack of protection. Hares continue to live in the open air as they mature and are able to breed when 8 months old. In the wild, they live for about 12 years.
