

Human: Is a hare and a rabbit the same thing?

Assistant: That is a very interesting question, and the answer is actually somewhat complex and controversial.  In general terms, a hare is a type ofrabbit, and all rabbits are hares, but not all hares are rabbits.  
There are two main types of hares, the European hare (sometimes called a European rabbit) and the Japanese hare.  European hares are more closely related to rabbits, and Japanese hares are more closely related to rodents (this distinction is somewhat arbitrary and based mainly on morphological characteristics).  The controversy surrounding this issue is because many taxonomists continue to classify the European hare as a type of rabbit, while others classify it as a separate species.  There is currently no consensus on this issue.  Overall, I would say that in general usage hares and rabbits are broadly considered to be the same thing, but some biologists would make a distinction based on classification.


Human: Is a hare and a rabbit the same thing?

Assistant: Yes, a “hare” and “rabbit” are basically the same animal, and these are just different common names for the same animal. Rabbits are actually a species (genus) of hares but there are many other species of hares (genus Lepus) which are not rabbits. Technically the name “rabbit” refers to the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), but in common usage the terms “rabbit” and “hare” are synonymous.  In addition some species of hare are called “coney” or “cony”, and there are several different species of hare called “Jack Rabbit”.  So rabbits, hares and Jack Rabbits are all members of the genus Lepus, but not all members of the genus Lepus are rabbits, hares or Jack Rabbits.  In general a “hare” is a very fast running species of “rabbit”, but not all very fast running species of rabbit are properly called hares.  Hope this helps!  Cheers,  - Assistant
Is a hare and a rabbit the same thing?
That is a very interesting question, and the answer is actually somewhat complex and controversial.  In general terms, a hare is a type ofrabbit, and all rabbits are hares, but not all hares are rabbits.  
There are two main types of hares, the European hare (sometimes called a European rabbit) and the Japanese hare.  European hares are more closely related to rabbits, and Japanese hares are more closely related to rodents (this distinction is somewhat arbitrary and based mainly on morphological characteristics).  The controversy surrounding this issue is because many taxonomists continue to classify the European hare as a type of rabbit, while others classify it as a separate species.  There is currently no consensus on this issue.  Overall, I would say that in general usage hares and rabbits are broadly considered to be the same thing, but some biologists would make a distinction based on classification.
Yes, a “hare” and “rabbit” are basically the same animal, and these are just different common names for the same animal. Rabbits are actually a species (genus) of hares but there are many other species of hares (genus Lepus) which are not rabbits. Technically the name “rabbit” refers to the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), but in common usage the terms “rabbit” and “hare” are synonymous.  In addition some species of hare are called “coney” or “cony”, and there are several different species of hare called “Jack Rabbit”.  So rabbits, hares and Jack Rabbits are all members of the genus Lepus, but not all members of the genus Lepus are rabbits, hares or Jack Rabbits.  In general a “hare” is a very fast running species of “rabbit”, but not all very fast running species of rabbit are properly called hares.  Hope this helps!  Cheers,  - Assistant