| Eastern Cottontails share habitats with seven other cottontails and six species of hares. They have been transplanted to areas outside their historically widespread range, which included swamps, prairies, woodlands, and forests. They have two ways of escaping danger: a zig-zag dash or a slink, in which they creep along, low to the ground, with their ears back. Eastern Cottontails are among the most prolific lagomorphs. Females can have seven litters a year, producing as many as 35 young. Litters, usually of 36, are born in a fur-lined nest of dried grasses and leaves.
Also known as:
Florida Cottontail
Sexual Dimorphism:
Females are larger than males.
Length:
Average:
430 mm
Range:
395-477 mm
Weight:
Range:
801-1,533 g
References:
Allen, J.A., 1890. Descriptions of a new species and a new subspecies of the genus Lepus. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 3:159-160.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
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