Eastern Cottontail
Scientific Name: Sylvilagus floridanus
Eastern Cottontails have buffy brown underfur and courser gray and black tipped guard hair. It has a prominent rufus patch on its neck, with a white underbelly. As indicated by its name, its tail has a white cotton like appearance on the underside. They go through two different molts per year, giving it a shorter browner coat in the summer, and a longer grayer coat in the winter. They have large eyes and large upright ears.
The eastern cottontail serves as an important prey species for many other animals including coyotes, foxes, bobcats, weasels, hawks, and owls. As with many other rabbit species, eastern cottontails have population fluctuations as part of a predator-prey cycle. For example, eastern cottontail populations will increase due to an abundance of food, and coyote populations will subsequently increase as well. As the coyote population grows, they will reduce the rabbit population. Eventually, the coyote population will decline due to a lack of food, and the rabbit population can rebound.
Adult size: 15 to 19 in
Weight: 1.7 to 3.4 lbs
Life span: Eastern Cottontails are short lived, as most do not survive past their third year. They can live up to 5 years in the wild.
Maturity: 2 to 3 years
Litter size: 1 to 12
Fun Fact
Eastern Cottontail rabbits hop in a zigzag pattern to avoid being caught by predators, sometimes hopping up to 18 miles an hour!
Diet
Eastern Cottontails are vegetarians, eating mostly complex carbohydrates and cellulose. This consists of grasses, clovers, garden vegetables, and other green plants. In the winter they switch to more woody vegetation such as twigs, bark and buds. These substances are difficult to break down, so they often eat their fecal pellets to gain nutrients that were not absorbed the first time around. This process is called coprophagy.
Habitat
Eastern Cottontails prefer edge habitats between areas of woody vegetation and open land. They can also be found in meadows, orchards, low growing shrubs, and backyards. They prefer young growth forests over old growth forests.
Behavior
Eastern Cottontails are mostly solitary species. Their home range can be between 5 and 8 acres, with males having larger home ranges than females, especially during the breeding season. They are both crepuscular and nocturnal, active at dawn and dusk, and throughout the night. During the day, they stay hidden in bushes and thickets. They stay active throughout the winter.
They have a “freezing or flushing” response to predators. Flushing consists of running quickly in zigzag bounds to the nearest cover to escape. They make several vocalizations including distress calls, squeals, and grunts. They have excellent senses to effectively avoid predators.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Eastern Cottontails are polygynous meaning males have more than one female they are mating with at a time. The onset of breeding is controlled by temperature and availability of vegetation. Males are in breeding condition by February and are active until September. Females can have between 1-7 litters per year depending on these conditions.
Gestation is typically between 25-28 days. The mother builds a fur and grass lined nest a few days before birth. Newborns are blind and naked but grow quickly and can leave the nest after about 2 weeks. Litter mates disperse at about 7 weeks. The female can mate again soon after her first litter leaves the nest.
Population Status
Eastern Cottontails are common throughout their range and are of “least concern” on the IUCN Red List. They are widespread and abundant due to their high reproductive rates and ability to adapt to huma-altered landscapes.They are currently not at risk for decline.
Viewing
Eastern Cottontails can be seen in many places, particularly along field, farm, and forest edges, or even in your neighborhood!
Range
Eastern Cottontail have the widest range of any Sylvilagus. They are found throughout southern Canada, Central American, Northwestern portions of South American, and the majority of the United States. They are common throughout all of NYS.
