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Desert Cottontail - Sylvilagus audubonii

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Sylvilagus

ICUN Redlist - World Status:

Least Concern

Description

The desert cottontail has brown-gray fur above and lighter fur on its undersides. It has big eyes; a puffy, round tail; and long, wide ears with a little fur in them. The female desert cottontail is usually a little larger than the male.

Range

map The desert cottontail is found in the southwest from California east to Texas and from northern Montana south to Mexico.

Habitat

The desert cottontail is found in woodlands, grasslands, creosote brush, and desert areas.

Diet

The desert cottontail eats grasses, cacti, bark, twigs, and mesquite.

Reproduction

Mating season runs from January to late summer. The female makes a nest by digging a shallow hole in the ground and lining it with fur and grass. A month after mating, she gives birth to 1-6 babies. The babies are born naked and with their eyes closed. They leave the nest when they are two weeks old. They stay with their mother for another three weeks. They are ready to mate when they are about three months old. Females usually have 2-4 litters a year. Some females may have as many as six litters a year.

Behavior

The desert cottontail is most active in the early morning and in the evening. It spends the hottest part of the day under cover. Sometimes the desert cottontail climbs sloping trees and tree stumps to sit and keep watch for predators and other dangers.

The desert cottontail does not build its own den, although it may scratch a depression under a bush or other vegetation. Sometimes it rests in the burrow of another animal. The desert cottontail can also swim, and it runs at speeds of up to 15 mph.