<P> This hare is one of the largest of the lagomorphs . Its head and body length can range from 60 to 75 cm (24 to 30 in) with a tail length of 7.2 to 11 cm (2.8 to 4.3 in). The body mass is typically between 3 and 5 kg (6.6 and 11.0 lb). The hare's elongated ears range from 9.4 to 11.0 cm (3.7 to 4.3 in) from the notch to tip . It also has long hind feet that have a length of between 14 and 16 cm (5.5 and 6.3 in). The skull has nasal bones that are short, but broad and heavy . The supraorbital ridge has well - developed anterior and posterior lobes and the lacrimal bone projects prominently from the anterior wall of the orbit . </P> <P> The fur colour is grizzled yellow - brown on the back; rufous on the shoulders, legs, neck and throat; white on the underside and black on the tail and ear tips . The fur on the back is typically longer and more curled than on the rest of the body . The European hare's fur does not turn completely white in the winter as is the case with some other members of the genus, although the sides of the head and base of the ears do develop white areas and the hip and rump region may gain some grey . </P> <P> European hares are native to much of continental Europe and part of Asia . Their range extends from northern Spain to southern Scandinavia, eastern Europe, and northern parts of Western and Central Asia . They have been extending their range into Siberia . They may have been introduced to Britain by the Romans (circa 2000 years ago) as there are no records of them from earlier sites . Undocumented introductions probably occurred in some Mediterranean Islands . They have also been introduced, mostly as game animals, to North America (in Ontario and New York State, and unsuccessfully in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut), South America (Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and the Falkland Islands), Australia, both islands of New Zealand and the south Pacific coast of Russia . </P> <P> Hares primarily live in open fields with scattered brush for shelter . They are very adaptable and thrive in mixed farmland . According to a study done in the Czech Republic, the mean hare densities were highest at altitudes below 200 metres (660 ft), 40 to 60 days of annual snow cover, 450 to 700 millimetres (18 to 28 in) of annual precipitation, and a mean annual air temperature of around 10 ° C (50 ° F). With regards to climate, the study found that hare densities were highest in "warm and dry districts with mild winters". In Poland, hares are most abundant in areas with few forest edges, perhaps because foxes can use these for cover . They require cover, such as hedges, ditches and permanent cover areas, because these habitats supply the varied diet they require, and are found at lower densities in large open fields . Intensive cultivation of the land results in greater mortality of young hares (leverets). </P>

When was the brown hare introduced to britain
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