Cottontail rabbit

"Cottontail" redirects here. For other uses, see Cottontail (disambiguation).

Cottontail rabbits
Eastern cottontail rabbit (S. floridanus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Lagomorpha
Family:	Leporidae
Genus:	Sylvilagus J. E. Gray, 1867
Type species
Lepus sylvaticus Bachman, 1837 (=Lepus sylvaticus floridanus J. A. Allen, 1890)
Species
27, see text

Eastern cottontail

Cottontail rabbits are in the Sylvilagus genus, which is in the Leporidae family. They are found in the Americas. Most Sylvilagus species have stub tails with white undersides that show when they retreat, giving them their characteristic name. However, this feature is not present in all Sylvilagus, nor is it unique to the genus.

The genus is widely distributed across North America, Central America, and northern and central South America, though most species are confined to some particular regions. Most species live in nests called forms, and all have altricial young. An adult female averages three litters per year, which can occur in any season. Occurrence and litter size depend on several factors, including time of the year, weather, and location. The average litter size is four, but can range from as few as two to as many as eight, most of whom do not go on to survive to adulthood.

Cottontail rabbits show a greater resistance to myxomatosis than European rabbits.

Evolution

Cottontails are one of several species of Sylvilagus. Their closest relative is Brachylagus, the pygmy rabbit. They are more distantly related to the European and other rabbits, and more distantly still to the hares. The cladogram is based on mitochondrial gene analysis.

Cottontails	Sylvilagus audubonii Sylvilagus nuttallii Sylvilagus aquaticus Sylvilagus palustris Sylvilagus transitionalis Sylvilagus obscurus Sylvilagus floridanus Sylvilagus brasiliensis Sylvilagus bachmani Sylvilagus mansuetus Sylvilagus andinus

Lifespan

The lifespan of a cottontail averages about two years, depending on the location. Almost every living carnivorous creature comparable to or larger in size than these lagomorphs is a potential predator, including such diverse creatures as domestic dogs, cats, humans, snakes, coyotes, mountain lions, foxes, and if the cottontail is showing signs of illness, even squirrels. The cottontail's most frequent predators are various birds of prey. Cottontails can also be parasitized by botfly species including Cuterebra fontinella. Newborn cottontails are particularly vulnerable to these attacks. Cottontails use burrows vacated by other animals, and the burrows are used for long enough periods that predators can learn where the cottontails reside and repeatedly return to prey on the lagomorphs. Though cottontails are prolific animals that can have multiple litters in a year, few of the resulting offspring survive to adulthood. Those that do survive grow very quickly and are full grown adults at three months.

Eating mechanics

In contrast to rodents (squirrels, etc.), which generally sit on their hind legs and hold food with their front paws while feeding, cottontail rabbits eat while on all fours. Cottontail rabbits typically only use their nose to move and adjust the position of the food that it places directly in front of its front paws on the ground. The cottontail will turn the food with its nose to find the cleanest part of the vegetation (free of sand and inedible parts) to begin its meal. The only time a cottontail uses its front paws while feeding is when vegetation is above its head on a living plant, at which point the cottontail will lift its paw to bend the branch to bring the food within reach.

Cottontails are rarely found foraging for food on windy days, because the wind interferes with their hearing capabilities. Hearing an incoming predator before they get close enough to attack is their primary defense mechanism.

• 
  Juvenile cottontail standing in anticipation of food
• 
  Cottontails are very sociable animals within their peer group
• 
  Male desert cottontail at eight weeks, and the same cottontail at 16 months of age

Species

Pleistocene fossil

The subgenera were described in the 19th century based on limited morphological data that have been shown to not be of great use, nor to depict phylogenetic relationships. Molecular studies (limited in scope to the mitochondrial 12S gene) have shown that the currently accepted subgeneric structure, while of some heuristic value, is unlikely to withstand additional scrutiny.

Subgenus	Image	Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
Microlagus		Brush rabbit	Sylvilagus bachmani	West coast of North America, from the Columbia River in Oregon to the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. Isolated subspecies, San Jose brush rabbit, on San José Island in the Gulf of California.
Sylvilagus		Desert cottontail	Sylvilagus audubonii	Western United States from eastern Montana to western Texas, California and in Northern and Central Mexico
		Mexican cottontail	Sylvilagus cunicularius	Mexico from the state of Sinaloa to the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz
		Eastern cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus	eastern and south-central United States, southern Canada, eastern Mexico, Central America and northernmost South America
		Tres Marias cottontail	Sylvilagus graysoni	Tres Marias Islands, Mexico
		Mountain cottontail	Sylvilagus nuttallii	Intermountain west of Canada and the United States
		Appalachian cottontail or Allegheny cottontail	Sylvilagus obscurus	eastern United States
		Robust cottontail	Sylvilagus holzneri	southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico
		New England cottontail	Sylvilagus transitionalis	New England, specifically from southern Maine to southern New York
Tapeti		Andean tapeti	Sylvilagus andinus	Venezuela south to Peru
		Bogota tapeti	Sylvilagus apollinaris	Colombia
		Swamp rabbit	Sylvilagus aquaticus	southern United States
		Common tapeti	Sylvilagus brasiliensis	Brazil (Venezuela to Argentina when the many unclassified populations are included)
		Ecuadorian tapeti	Sylvilagus daulensis	Ecuador
		Dice's cottontail	Sylvilagus dicei	Costa Rica and Panama
		Fulvous tapeti	Sylvilagus fulvescens	Colombia
		Central American tapeti	Sylvilagus gabbi	Mexico to Panama
		Northern tapeti	Sylvilagus incitatus	San Miguel Island, Panama
		Omilteme cottontail	Sylvilagus insonus	Guerrero, Mexico
		Nicefor's tapeti	Sylvilagus nicefori	Colombia
		Marsh rabbit	Sylvilagus palustris	southeastern United States
		Suriname tapeti	Sylvilagus parentum	western Suriname
		Colombian tapeti	Sylvilagus salentus	Colombia
		Santa Marta tapeti	Sylvilagus sanctaemartae	Colombia
		Western tapeti	Sylvilagus surdaster	Ecuador
		Coastal tapeti	Sylvilagus tapetillus	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
		Venezuelan lowland rabbit	Sylvilagus varynaensis	western Venezuela

Prehistoric species

• Sylvilagus hibbardi (Early-Mid Pleistocene)
• Sylvilagus leonensis - Dwarf cottontail (Late Pleistocene)
• Sylvilagus webbi (Pleistocene)