Wednesday, May 23, 2001
Updated: May 2, 8:34 PM ET
White-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus townsendii
Common Names
Whitetail jackrabbit
Characteristics
Average wt. 5-9 lb (2.3-4.1 kg); Average length 19"-24" (48-61 cm); Hind foot average 6 1/4" (15.9 cm); Average ear length 4" (10.2 cm). The white-tailed jackrabbit is large with long ears. In the summer it is gray to tan-gray on top and white or pale gray below. Its tail is white. The ears are tan to gray on the inside and whitish with a black stripe on the back to the tip. The winter coat is whiter in the northern and higher elevation parts of its range and gray in the southern part. The tips of the ears are dark. The jackrabbit can leap 15'-20' (38-51 cm) and run up to 35 mph ( 56 kph) with bursts of speed up to 45 mph (72 kph). It can swim if necessary. During mating season the bucks fight with their hind feet. In winter, it can burrow into the snow if necessary for protection. The jackrabbit is a true hare. The primary differences between a hare and a rabbit are the hare is generally larger with longer ears and has more powerful hind legs. The hare lives in open habitat and runs to escape predators rather than hiding in the woods as the rabbit does. The hare does not build nests for its young which are born fully furred with their eyes open. The rabbit does build nests and its young are born naked with their eyes closed.
Habitat
Barren or sparsely vegetated sagebrush areas and foothills of the mountains within its range. It eats grasses, weedy plants, shrubs, clover and in winter buds, twigs and dried vegetation.
Distribution
In North America east of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges in the West, east to Nebraska, north to southern Manitoba and west to Alberta east of the Rockies. Its range overlaps with the black-tailed jackrabbit, but is further north.
Material from GreatLodge.com.
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