Rabbit, Mountain Cottontail (Nuttall's Cottontail)

Physical Features

The Mountain Cottontail colour ranges from grey to rust brown furs. The color of their fur is dictated by their habitat environments with respect to camouflaging against predators and dealing with certain characteristics in their environments such as temperature.  They have short ears, rounded at end and long hind legs devoid of hair and has a white grey tail. The underside is palely coloured. These rabbits are usually 14 to 16 inches in length and weigh about 2- 3pounds. It is distinguished from it relatives by a light brown nape located at the back of its head.

Diet

The Cottontails are herbivores; as such they feed on wide variety of grasses, such as wheat grasses and bluegrasses; leaves and plant matter. They are lovers of berries, clovers and vegetables like lettuce and carrots. During winter, they feed on different types of woods such as birch and maple along with twigs and wood chips. An interesting feeding pattern of the Cottontail is that they eat back their own fecal matter as it increases the nutritive value of their daily food intake.

Habitat

The Cottontails is a native to North America, mainly found in the United Stes and Canada. They are commonly found living in areas that are that are open, grassy and heavily vegetated. These features allows the rabbits to hide from predators as well as to nest in places that are comfortable and protected by the shrubby cover. The nest is a small hole in the soil lined with vegetation and heavily protected by shrubs to provide cover

Behavior

The Cottontail can be quite aggressive at time as it is quite territorial. The home range of both sexes is quite large, on average the female have up to 15 acres and males up to 90 acres. They are primarily nocturnal feeders and as such is seen mostly on late evenings and rainy days. They love areas where they can hide and feel secure. During the days, most of their time is spent resting in their dens and sometimes feeding. It is important to note, that these species of Cottontails are not  very sociable.

Cottontails become sexually mature at the age of 3 months. Prior to mating both sexes display courtship patterns such as racing, running and fighting to impress each other. The cottontails are quite promiscuous and as such males will mate with a numbers of females. Breeding takes place between March and July. The nest is a small clutch in the soil lined with plant matter and vegetation. The gestation period is about 30 days. The female gives birth to 3-4 litter on average per year. The mother plays a crucial role in their lives by nursing them until they are able to take care of themselves. She feeds them twice a day. These rabbits tend to produce litter more than one time for the year and as such predators help to reduce these increasing populations.

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