GENERAL INFORMATION

Eastern Cottontails are the best-known and most widely distributed rabbit of North America. They are one of four rabbit species native to the Carolinas. Cottontails are common from the coast to the mountains.

DESCRIPTION

Eastern Cottontail rabbits have long ears and a short, fluffy tail. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs with hind feet that are significantly larger than the front feet. The upper body is usually reddish brown with the under parts white, including the underside of the tail. There is a rusty colored patch on the nape of the neck and often a white spot on the forehead. Eastern Cottontails usually weigh from 2 to 4 pounds and have a total length of 12 to almost 20 inches.

HABITS AND HABITATS

Eastern Cottontails are herbivorous, eating a wide variety of plant materials. In spring and summer, they usually feed on herbaceous plants such as succulent wild grasses and clover but will also eat garden vegetables if available. In winter, Cottontails may eat woody plants including staghorn sumac, red maple, apple, and blackberry. The Eastern Cottontail is a prolific breeder. Although females are capable of breeding during their first year, most have their first litters during their second summer. Litter sizes up to l0 have been reported, but typical litters number from 3 to 5 young, born after a gestation period of about 28 days. In some warmer climates, Cottontails may breed year round (some females have been reported to have up to 7 litters a year!), but in the Carolinas, the breeding season is limited from late winter to fall. Cottontails construct their nests by digging a shallow depression in the ground and then lining it with grasses and other plants, along with fur plucked from the female's belly. Young Cottontails are blind at birth and their eyes remain closed until they are about a week old. Baby rabbits leave the nest and can survive on their own by the time they are 3 to 4 weeks old. Eastern Cottontails are most likely to be found In and around old, overgrown fields, brushy forest edges and other habitats with mixtures of herbaceous and shrubby plants. They can also be found living in close proximity to humans as long as there is adequate escape cover available.

HISTORY

Despite their speed and skill in evading their enemies, Cottontails are taken in large numbers by foxes, bobcats, several species of hawks and owls, and large snakes. The Eastern Cottontail rabbit is also the most widely hunted game animal in the eastern United States. Domestic dogs and cats catch and kill many cottontails, especially the young. Although Cottontail populations fluctuate widely from place to place and from year to year, healthy populations can usually be maintained as long as there is suitable habitat.

INFORMATION LINKS

House Rabbit Society

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©2002 WNC Nature Center