The eastern cottontail is the most common species of rabbits in North America.
It is a New World cottontail rabbit that is a member of the Leporidae family. This rabbit is chunky in appearance, has a red-brown or gray color with large hind feet, long ears, and short white tail hence its cute name. A distinct rusty patch on the rabbit’s tail is present. The male looks different from the female; it has a brown-gray color found around the neck and the head while the body is lighter and has a white underside found on the tail. The eastern cottontail has large brown eyes and oversized ears that it uses to see and hear danger or threats. During the wintertime, the fur of the eastern cottontail is more gray than brown.
The babies will develop the same color after a few weeks of life. The kits will also have a white blaze that is found on their forehead, but this mark will soon disappear as the bunny becomes mature. The eastern cottontail can weigh from 1.8 to 4.4 pounds and has an average weight of 2.6 pounds. The female is heavier, but the two genders tend to overlap when it comes to size. There is a slight variation in body size of these breeds with weights that seem to increase from north to south. The recognized colors of eastern cottontails range from red-brown to gray-brown. There are distinct color patterns on the body, especially on the head, back, and tail. The kits have the same color after a few weeks but have a white spot that goes down their heads.
Distribution of the Breed.
The eastern cottontail can be found in meadows as well as in shrubs in the eastern and south-central areas of the United States, southern Canada, east of Mexico, and the northernmost parts of South America. You will find a large number of eastern cottontails in the Midwest states of North America as well as Arizona and New Mexico. Because of clearing forests, the eastern cottontail’s range has expanded north.
Originally, this breed is not found in New England, but it was introduced in the area and now competes for resources with the New England cottontail. Some people say that the two cottontails appear to look alike. It was also introduced in US states like Washington and Oregon as well as Canadian provinces like British Columbia. During the mid-1960s, this breed was taken to Cuba, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Saint Croix.
Temperament.
The eastern cottontails are very territorial. When this rabbit is chased, it will run in a zigzag pattern. This rabbit breed prefers an area where it can quickly hide even out in the open. It is found in swamps, bushes, thickets, and also in open areas where hiding places are available. The eastern cottontail can use the dens of groundhogs as temporary homes during wintertime.
Eastern cottontails are crepuscular, which means that these rabbits can spend most of the daylight hours taking a break in shallow areas under vegetative cover. This rabbit can be found at any time of the day. It can feed nocturnally too. The eastern cottontail is most active when there is less visibility, such as during foggy days and rainy nights, but are known to be active all year long. This rabbit breed can move for very short distances and may even be found sitting without moving like a statue for 15 minutes.
Source: herebunny.com/care/eastern-co...
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5 май 2021
