"Living well below sea level in Death Valley and also in woodland and grassland up to 2,000 m elevation, Desert Cottontails are able to tolerate diverse habitats. They are most active at dawn and dusk, and spend hot days resting in a burrow or in a ""hide,"" which is a shallow depression in the ground or in vegetation. Like all rabbits, they are vegetarians, feeding on grasses, shrubs, and forbs. They also eat acorns. When they can, they forage under shrubs, and when they venture out from under shelter, they move cautiously, and freeze when alarmed. They breed year-round, and mature quickly: breeding is seen in individuals as young as three months of age."

Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account

Sylvilagus audubonii occurs in the western USA and north and central Mexico. In the USA the western boundary is the Pacific Ocean and in the east it barely extends into the Great Plains. The far northern extent of the range almost reaches Canada in eastern Montana and southwestern North Dakota, extending south through Wyoming, western South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, and western Texas. Except for extreme mountainous areas, the range includes Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, south and central Utah, southern Nevada, and all but northern California (Chapman and Ceballos 1990). In Mexico, the range includes all of Baja California, Baja California Sur, most of Sonora and Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, western Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, eastern Durango, northern Sinaloa, north-eastern Jalisco, northern Guanajuato, northern Queretaro, central Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, north-central Puebla, and a small area in western Veracruz (Vargas Cuenca and Cervantes 2005).

S. audubonii occurs from below sea level in Death Valley, California, to 1,829 m or higher (Chapman and Willner 1978).

This species can be found throughout much of southwestern North America, from northern Montana down to central Mexico, and as far west as the Pacific coast.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Western U.S., from northern California northeastward to the Dakotas and southward to south-central Mexico.

Female desert cottontails are slightly larger than males, weighing an average of 988 g while the average male weight is 841 g. For females, total length is about 385 mm, length of hind foot is 90 mm, and ear length is 73 mm. Males' measurements are similar. Both sexes have the bushy white "cotton" tail.

Average mass: 900 g.

Average basal metabolic rate: 2.506 W.

Length: 42 cm

Weight: 1400 grams

Sexual Dimorphism: Females are larger than males.

Length:
Average: 385 mm
Range: 372-397 mm

Weight:
Range: 755-1,250 g

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial

This species is found mainly in arid regions, giving it the common name desert cottontail. It can also inhabit woodlands and grasslands, and it ranges in elevation from sea level up to about 6,000 feet. When not feeding, individuals live in heavy brush, brambles, or holes in order to hide from their many predators (coyotes, foxes, badgers, bobcats, hawks, etc.).

Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; chaparral

Comments: Various habitats; dry uplands as well as low valleys and canyons. May inhabit open grasslands, brushlands, edges of foothill woodlands, willow thickets, sometimes in cultivated fields or under buildings. May occupy burrows of other species. Rests in shallow burrow, slight depression in ground surrounded vegetative cover, or in thick vegetation. Can swim; occasionally climbs low trees. Female constructs fur-lined nest, usually on ground in open habitat (Ingles 1965).

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

These rabbits eat almost exclusively grass (of various species). They will also eat some fruits, nuts, and vegetables when available.

Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )

Comments: Eats grasses, leafy plants, fruits and seeds. May also feed on bark and shrubby vegetation. Feeds in brushy cover during the day but may venture into open areas during darker hours. Obtains water from vegetation and dew (Jones et al. 1983).

Home range is up to about 6 ha, often much smaller. Density has been estimated at about 2-16 per ha in different areas. Mortality rates are high; few live longer than 1-2 years. In southwestern California, may be an effective disperser of seeds, including those of plants associated with vernal pools (Zedler and Black 1992).

Comments: Active throughout the year. Primarily crepuscular but may be seen at any time during the day or night.

Average lifespan

Status: captivity: 7.8 years.

Maximum longevity: 7.8 years (captivity)

The breeding season is from December or January until the late summer. Gestation lasts only 28 days, and litters are made up of about three young. Pregnant females often resorb some of their embryos before gestation is complete, probably in response to environmental conditions. This species is somewhat less fecund than are others in the genus; desert cottontails produce only about 5 litters per year. A female builds a nest by digging a hole in the ground about 20 cm deep, then lining it with grass and fur. She feeds her young only once per day, by crouching over the nest to let them nurse. Their eyes open by day 10, and they leave the nest at the age of just under two weeks. They remain near the nest for another three weeks. Sexual maturity is achieved by the age of three months.

Range number of offspring: 1 to 5.

Range gestation period: 26 to 30 days.

Range weaning age: 21 to 28 days.

Average birth mass: 34.5 g.

Average number of offspring: 3.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)

Sex: male: 107 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)

Sex: female: 164 days.

Parental Investment: altricial

Breeds throughout year or December-June in California, April-July or August in Colorado, January-August or September in Arizona). Gestation 26-30 days. Annually produces several litters of 1-5 young (average about 2.7-2.9 in Arizona, 3.6 in California). Young leave nest at 10-14 days (Chapman and Willner 1978).

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Species: 13
Species With Barcodes: 1

This species is not threatened, although cattle grazing can affect its abundance.

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Population

Population Trend

Major Threats

Conservation Actions

An area with a dense population of desert cottontails could be negatively impacted by their consumption of vegetation.

These animals are used for food and for their fur.

Positive Impacts: food ; body parts are source of valuable material

Comments: Hunted for sport, meat, and pelt.