Abstract
In conjunction with studies of the "10-year cycle" of snowshoe hares, almost 900 hares were collected in the Anzac district of Alberta during the period May, 1949, to April, 1956. Embryo numbers and sex ratios were among the data gathered from post-mortem examinations of these hares. It was found that the average litter size was 3.82; the modal litter size was four and the range was from one to seven. The average number of litters each season was calculated at 2.75. The annual reproductive potential is thus 10.51 (3.82 × 2.75) young per female hare. This is more than 50% greater than that indicated by comparable data from Minnesota. It is suggested that herein lies the cause of higher peak populations in northern regions. Sex ratios shifted from a marked excess of females in the year 1949–1950 to about even numbers of both sexes during the two subsequent years. Since the change in sex ratio occurred at the peak of the cycle, the two factors are believed to be in some manner correlated.