Rabbits and Hares

I

Introduction

Rabbits and Hares, common name for certain small, furry mammals with long ears and short tails. Although the names rabbit and hare are often used interchangeably, in zoological classification the species called rabbits are characterized by the helplessness of their offspring, which are born naked and with closed eyes, and by their gregarious habit of living in colonies in underground burrows. (The exception is the cottontail of North America, which does not dig burrows; its nest is on the surface, usually in dense vegetation, and it is not social.) Species designated zoologically as hares are born furred and with open eyes, and the adults merely construct a simple nest and rarely live socially. Furthermore, the hare is generally larger than the rabbit and has longer ears with characteristic black markings. Moreover, the skulls of rabbits and hares are distinctly different.

Distributed throughout the world, hares and rabbits have many common characteristics. Both groups breed prolifically, bearing four to eight litters a year, with three to eight young in each litter, have a period of gestation lasting about a month, reach sexual maturity in about six months, and have a life span of about ten years. These animals, which weigh from about 1 to 5 kg (about 2 to 11 lb) and attain a length of about 30 to 60 cm (about 12 to 24 in), feed mainly on herbs, tree bark, and vegetables. They prefer to live in regions where the soil is loose and dry and where brushwood offers shelter. Although rabbits and hares are valued as game by hunters, as food, and for their fur, they often are pests to farmers whose trees and crops they destroy. The species commonly found in the United States are the cottontail, the snowshoe rabbit, the jackrabbit, and the domestic rabbit.

II

Cottontail

The chief wild rabbit of North America is the cottontail. Its name is derived from the white undersurface of its short tail, which resembles a puff of cotton. The cottontail is noted for remaining motionless to avoid notice when it senses danger. The rabbit, which swims well, also evades enemies by plunging into lakes or streams.

III

Snowshoe

The varying hare, known popularly as the snowshoe rabbit, is distributed widely throughout North America. In winter it is pure white except for black ear tips, and in summer it is reddish-brown. The young snowshoe weighs 85 g (3 oz) at birth and develops so rapidly that it crawls on the second day after birth and hops on the third day. Adult males, called bucks, fight one another with their teeth when they court the same females, which are known as does. Although largely herbivorous, the adult snowshoe rabbit may eat mice and carrion.

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IV

Jackrabbit

One species of jackrabbit, the black-tailed jackrabbit, is found in the western parts of the United States and Canada. The fastest of the rabbits and hares, jackrabbits achieve speeds of about 70 km/h (about 45 mph) and can bound some 4.5 to 6 m (some 15 to 20 ft) in a single jump. Because this species competes with grazing animals for food, livestock owners in the western United States have undertaken great drives to reduce the hare population, which has been estimated to be as high as 3,100 per sq km (8,000 per sq mi). Jackrabbits may carry tularemia, a bacterial disease that can be fatal to humans.

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