Audubon's cottontail, Desert cottontail
The desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii ), also known as Audubon's cottontail, is a New World cottontail rabbit, and a member of the family Leporidae. Unlike the European rabbit, they do not form social burrow systems, but compared with some other leporids, they are extremely tolerant of other individuals in their vicinity.
Cottontails give birth to their kits in burrows vacated by other mammals. They sometimes cool off, or take refuge in scratched out shallow created depressions of their own making, using their front paws like a back hoe. They are not usually active in the middle of the day, but can be observed foraging in the early morning, and early evening. Cottontails are rarely found out of their burrows looking for food on windy days, because the wind interferes with their ability to hear approaching predators, their primary defense mechanism.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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JumpingJumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Desert DwellersThe Desert cottontail is a common species of cottontail rabbit native to North America. Unlike the European rabbit, it does not form social burrow systems, but compared with some other rabbits and hares, it is extremely tolerant of other individuals in its vicinity. The Desert cottontail is quite similar in appearance to the European rabbit, though its ears are larger and are more often carried erect. It has a greyish-brown, rounded tail with a broad white edge and white underside, which is visible as it runs away. It also has white fur on the belly.
Desert cottontails are found throughout the Western United States from eastern Montana to western Texas and in Northern and Central Mexico. Its eastern range extends barely into the Great Plains. Westwards its range extends to central Nevada and southern California and Baja California, touching the Pacific Ocean. These rabbits inhabit dry grasslands, shrublands, deserts and can also be found in less arid habitats such as a pinyon-juniper forest. They are also frequently found in the riparian zones in arid regions.
Desert cottontails are social creatures and often gather in small groups to feed. They are not usually active in the middle of the day but can be observed foraging in the early morning, and early evening. Desert cottontails do not create their own burrows, but rather take abandoned burrows of other animals. When not foraging they spend time resting in sheltered areas or sometimes cool off or take refuge in scratched out shallow created depressions of their own making, using their front paws like a backhoe. Desert cottontails are rarely found out of their burrows looking for food on windy days because the wind interferes with their ability to hear approaching predators, their primary defense mechanism. Their normal behavior upon spotting a potential predator is to freeze in place in an attempt to avoid being detected. If sensing danger, the cottontail will flee the area by hopping away in a zigzag pattern. When defending itself against small predators or other Desert cottontails, it will nudge with its nose, or slap with its front paws, usually preceded by a hop straight upwards as high as 2 feet (61 cm) when threatened or taken by surprise.
Desert cottontails are herbivores (graminivores) and feed mainly on grass. They also eat the leaves and peas of mesquite, barks, fallen fruit, the juicy pads of prickly pear, and twigs of shrubs.
Desert cottontails breed starting from January and until the late summer. Females give birth to their kits in burrows vacated by other mammals and line them with grass and with fur pulled from their bellies. The litter size is usually 2-6 kittens and the gestation period lasts from 28 to 30 days. They are born blind, naked, and helpless. The young grow fast and their eyes open by day 10. They are usually weaned at 2 weeks of age and in 1 week more they become independent. Desert cottontails have many predators and although mated pairs have multiple litters throughout the year, few young survive to adulthood. Those that survive grow quickly and are fully grown at 3 months of age.
Desert cottontails are widespread and common throughout their range and none of the twelve subspecies are thought to be under threat at present. However, habitat loss due to land clearing and cattle grazing may severely affect the population of this species. Human-induced fires are also a potential threat for Desert cottontail populations. Another factor is its competition with the Black-tailed jackrabbit, because both have the same diet, and share the same habitat. When a season has been particularly dry, there is less plant life to go around. Cottontails do not fear the jackrabbits, however, Black-tailed jackrabbits are much bigger, and consume much more food at eating times. The Desert cottontail is also hunted for meat and for its fur and hides. It is also considered a game species, due to which it is hunted for sport.
According to IUCN, the Desert cottontail is common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...