By Deborah Ciszek
Geographic Range
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.
Habitat
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 .
Physical Description
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.
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; bilateral symmetry .
Reproduction
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.
Key reproductive features:
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual .
Behavior
Desert cottontails are not gregarious, but occasionally females have been seen feeding near one another without aggression. Home range size varies but is generally about 8 acres. The rabbits are most active in the early morning and in the evening, and they spend much of the remainder of the day under cover. When one is startled it may freeze or it may run for cover. They run in a zig-zag pattern, at about 15 miles per hour. This species has more athletic ability than the others in its genus, having the ability to swim and to climb trees and brush piles.
Key behaviors:
motile ; social ; dominance hierarchies .
Food Habits
These rabbits eat almost exclusively grass (of various species). They will also eat some fruits, nuts, and vegetables when available.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
An area with a dense population of desert cottontails could be negatively impacted by their consumption of vegetation.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
These animals are used for food and for their fur.
Ways that people benefit from these animals:
food ; body parts are source of valuable material.
Conservation Status
This species is not threatened, although cattle grazing can affect its abundance.
Contributors
Deborah Ciszek (author), University of Michigan.
