 The European hare was first described by German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1778 . It shares the genus Lepus with other hares and jackrabbits . These animals are distinguished from other leporids by their longer legs , wider nostrils and precocial young . The former two are adaptations for long distance running . Historically , up to 30 subspecies of European hare have been classified , although their status has been variable . These subspecies have been distinguished by differences in pelage colouration , body size , external body measurements , and skull and tooth shape . The Corsican hare , Broom hare and Granada hare were at some points considered to be subspecies of the European hare , however DNA sequencing and morphological analysis has supported them as separate species . 
