Rabbits & Hares (mammals)

White Tailed Jackrabbit

NPS Gallery

White Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)

Size: The white-tailed jackrabbit is large and weighs from 5–10 pounds. The body length is 18–22 inches with ears about 5–6 inches in length.

Appearence: This hare is gray/brown in summer and turns all white in the winter except for the tips of the ears and top of the head which remains a grizzled gray or black. It's belly and the underside of the tail are white.

Lifespan: About 96 months

Habitat:
Diet: They are hearboviores, which means they eat grasses, herbs, plants, flowers etc... Jackrabbits are not really rabbits at all. Instead, they are hares. These hares, with their long back legs and large ears, have a massive appetite and can eat up to one pound of food in a day. This means they must forage extensively during seasons when food is not as plentiful.

Reproduction: Adult females have their first litter (average of four young) in early April, and may have two or three more litters during the summer. Hares are precocial -- they are born with eyes open and a furry hide, they begin hopping after birth.

 

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit

NPS Gallery/Jane Gamble

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)

Appearance: They have a tan coat with Black-tipped Ears. They have long hind legs perfect for running from predators such as coyotes, foxes, and birds of prey.

Lifespan: They can live up to 8 years in the wild.

Size: They are approximately 24 inches in length and weigh betwwen 3 and 6 lbs.

Habitat: Open, flat areas with dry conditions and short grasses, including desert shrubland, prairies, farmlands, and dunes.

Diet: This species often feeds on grasses, twigs, tree bark, and other plants.

Reproduction: They mate year-round with their peak breeding sesaon between December through September. Females can have multiple litters every year, with around eight young (leverets) per litter.