“Their white winter camouflage could become a liability.” Golden eagle plummets from the sky to catch a vulnerable hare – will it succeed?

By January mountain hares have turned almost fully white, apart from their contrasting ear tips, which seem to have been dipped in black paint.

• Guide to Britain's upland wildlife: species, identification and where to see
• Best winter wildlife spectacles in the UK

Seeing these charismatic cold-adapted mammals is a highlight of any visit to the Scottish Highlands. But for how much longer?

The hares are not adapting the timing of their moult as fast as the climate is changing and, with fewer days of snow each year, their white winter camouflage could yet become a liability.

And as this video shows, that camouflage can be the difference between life and death.

• Winter wildlife in the Cairngorms National Park