These mad March hares have started their battle a whole month early in OxfordshireLocked in paw-to-paw combat, it seems these opponents are unaware that the land is about to be blanketed once more in ice and snow.
Despite the renewed chill gripping the country, nature lovers in Wantage, Oxfordshire, were treated to this sight of 'mad March hares' boxing.
Traditionally a sign that spring is under way, the ferocious bouts are part of the brown hare's courtship ritual.
The contests were long believed to be between two male hares fighting for dominance to mate with a female.
But in fact the disputes are usually a reluctant female that is not yet ready to mate repelling the unwanted advances of an overexcited male.
Conservationists are concerned that the sight of brown hares boxing could soon become a thing of the past.
The species has suffered a 75 per cent decline over the past 50 years
The fights are traditionally part of the brown hare's courtship ritualsource: dailymail
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