Jackrabbits with higher variability in color genes may be better prepared for snow loss due to climate change

A team of climate scientists and biologists from Universidade do Porto, in Portugal, working with colleagues from the University of Montana and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, both in the U.S., has found that jackrabbits living in mountainous areas, such as the Rockies, that have higher variability in color genes may be better prepared for snow loss due to climate change. In their study, reported in the journal Science, the group compared coat color variability and genetic predisposition in white-tailed jackrabbits living at different elevations.