It’s snow joke for these fluffy white mountain hares who stand out like a sore thumb - as warmer than usual weather leaves them with nowhere to hide.

The creatures sport a brown coat during the summer months, turning white in winter to blend in against usually snowy terrain.

The winter wardrobe helps protect the hares from falling foul to predators but a rise in winter temperatures has left the hares exposed to the elements.

Photographer Will Hall, 27, captured them standing out for all to see on a grassy mountain side on the western side of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands.

The snapper, from Inverness, said: When there is no snow it makes them really obvious, and temperatures have been on the rise but they still have their winter coats on.

“There have been good winters but it is very sad to see, when I first moved to Scotland it was partly because I was looking for that deep snow and challenging conditions, but this year it is just warm.

“I had gone out to try and photograph golden eagles, but when I spotted what I thought was a lump of snow I would look and realise it was a mountain hare.”

Winter temperatures in Scotland have been on the rise since the 1980s, increasing from an average of 0’c to around 7’c in the last decade.

The rise is due to climate change as rainfall patterns have changed and there is reduced frost and snowfall with the hottest days getting hotter and wettest days getting wetter.

It spells bad news for mountain hares, who are not yet endangered but are classed as under threat.

It is expected that the changes will continue to intensify in Scotland over the coming decades, with temperatures increasing in all seasons.