| At dawn and dusk in the mountainous regions of the western United States, the Mountain Cottontail forages for sagebrush, western juniper, and grasses, almost always close to cover. As befits a rabbit that lives where it gets very cold, its feet are covered with long, dense hair, and its rather short ears are furry inside. Young rabbits are born blind and hairless, in nests lined with grass and the mother's fur, in litters of four to eight. (In contrast, hares are born fully furred and ready to hop.) A female Mountain Cottontail may produce five litters each year.
Also known as:
Nuttall's Cottontail
Sexual Dimorphism:
Females are larger than males.
Length:
Average:
362 mm
Range:
338-390 mm
Weight:
Range:
628-871 g
References:
Bachman, J., 1837. Observations on the different species of hares (genus Lepus) inhabiting the United States and Canada, p. 345. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 7:282-361.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
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Sylvilagus nuttalli - sagebrush habitat
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