These snowshoe areas are from a polymorphic population in Washington state, where both the brown and the white winter forms coexist in a “polymorphic zone.” The hares were filed at L.S. Mills’ captive facility at the University of Montana, which was specifically designed to mimic the hares’ natural environment and allow researchers to monitor the precise timing of seasonal coat color molts and individual responses to camouflage mismatch. Different hares can be recognized using special dyes applied on their ears.

Credit: L. Scott Mills Research Hares, video footage by Jaco and Lindsey Barnard