Rabbits & Ungulates

Tonto National Monument is home to three species of lagomorphs (rabbits and hares) and three species of ungulates. Lagomorphs are mammals with two pairs of incisors in their upper jaw; ungulates are mammals with hooves. Learn about each of these species below.

 

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

NPS Photo

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Lepus californicus

Body Length: 17 - 21"
Diet: Green vegetation, including tree leaves

Jackrabbits are large hares with long legs. True to their name, they have black-tipped tails, as well as black tips on their long ears. Jackrabbits live in open areas with little cover and rely on excellent hearing, exceptional speed (up to 35 mph), and their great leaping ability to avoid predators. They may travel up to several miles at night to find suitable food before returning to their home range during the day.

 

Cottontail

NPS Photo

Desert Cottontail and Eastern Cottontail

Sylvilagus audubonii and Sylvilagus floridanus

Body Length: 12 - 17"
Diet: Green vegetation

The desert cottontail and the eastern cottontail occur at Tonto National Monument. This side-by-side occurrence of the two species is quite rare in Arizona, as they generally prefer different habitats. Desert and eastern cottontails are very difficult to tell apart. In general, eastern cottontails are slightly larger, have larger ears, and a more reddish nape/tail than desert cottontails. In addition, eastern cottontails are rarely found far from shade.

Cottontails and jackrabbits were an important food source for prehistoric people. Their bones are abundant in archeological deposits of the cliff dwellings at Tonto National Monument and throughout the Tonto Basin.

 

Javelina Family

NPS Photo

Collard Peccary (Javelina)

Pecari tajacu

Body Length: 34 - 36"
Diet: Prickly pear, mesquite beans, grubs, etc.

Though its official name is collared peccary, in Arizona this species is better known as javelina, a Spanish word pronounced "hav-a-LEEN-ah". Javelinas are not wild pigs or boars, which are domestic pigs gone wild. Peccaries differ from pigs in many ways, including the absence of large tusks and their smaller size. Javelina are highly social animals, traveling in family groups or herds of three to twenty individuals. Each herd has a particular scent, based on musk secretions, that forms the basis for mutual recognition. They are not often seen during the day, preferring shady areas such as dense vegetation and shallow caves.

 

Female Mule Deer

NPS Photo

Mule Deer

Odocoileus hemionus

Body Length: 3 3/4 - 6 1/2"
Diet: Flowering plants, grasses, and woody vegetation

Mule deer have large, "mule" ears, and males have forked antlers. They are brownish-gray in color, have a white rump patch, and a small white tail with a black tip. They survive the warm summer months by being active at night or during the early morning hours. They are common throughout the entire western United States.

 

Female White-tailed Deer

NPS Photo

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Body Length: 4 1/2 - 6 3/4"
Diet: Green plants, acorns, and woody material

White-tailed deer are the most frequently seen large animal at Tonto National Monument. Smaller and more graceful than mule deer, white-tailed deer are easily distinguished by their bushy white tail, which curls upward when the deer "hightails it", or runs away.

White-tailed deer graze in grassland areas during the winter, and come down to water sources to drink during dry months. They are excellent runners. Nevertheless, these deer are preyed upon by many predators.