Cottontail rabbit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cottontail rabbits
Eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvìlagus floridanus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Lagomorpha
Family:	Leporidae
Genus:	Sylvilagus Gray, 1867
Type species
Lepus sylvaticus Bachman, 1837 (=Lepus sylvaticus floridanus J. Allen, 1890)
Species
27, see text

A North American cottontail, Waterloo, Ontario

Cottontail rabbits are a group of rabbits found across the Americas. They belong to the genus Sylvilagus. Most cottontails get their name from their short tails, which have white undersides. When they run away, their white tails pop up, looking like a fluffy cotton ball! However, not all cottontails have this feature, and some other animals do too.

These rabbits live in many places, from North America to Central America and even parts of South America. Most species prefer to live in simple nests called "forms." Baby cottontails are born helpless, meaning they need a lot of care from their parents. An adult female rabbit can have about three litters of babies each year. This can happen in any season. The number of babies in a litter can change based on the time of year, weather, and where they live. On average, a litter has four babies, but it can be anywhere from two to eight. Sadly, many of these young rabbits do not survive to become adults.

Cottontail rabbits are also more resistant to a disease called myxomatosis compared to European rabbits.

How Cottontails Evolved

Cottontail rabbits are part of a larger family of rabbits. Their closest relative is the Pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus). They are also related to the European rabbit and other rabbits, but not as closely. Hares are even more distant relatives. Scientists study their genes to understand how these different rabbit types are connected.

What is a Cottontail's Lifespan?

A cottontail rabbit usually lives for about two years. This can change depending on where they live. Many animals hunt cottontails. These predators include domestic dogs, cats, snakes, coyotes, mountain lions, and foxes. Even squirrels might attack a sick cottontail. The most common predators are different types of birds of prey, like hawks and eagles.

Cottontails can also get tiny insect larvae called botflies, like Cuterebra fontinella. Newborn cottontails are especially easy targets for these attacks. Cottontails often use burrows that other animals have left behind. They might stay in these burrows for a long time. This means predators can learn where the rabbits live and keep coming back to hunt them. Even though cottontails have many babies each year, only a few of them grow up to be adults. Those that do survive grow very quickly. They are fully grown adults by the time they are three months old.

How Cottontails Eat Their Food

Cottontail rabbits eat differently from animals like squirrels. Squirrels often sit on their back legs and hold food with their front paws. Cottontails, however, usually eat while standing on all four legs.

They mostly use their nose to move and adjust their food. They place the food right in front of their front paws on the ground. A cottontail will turn the food with its nose to find the cleanest part of the plant. This helps them avoid eating sand or other things they shouldn't. The only time a cottontail uses its front paws to eat is when the food is on a living plant above its head. In this case, the rabbit will lift a paw to bend the branch down. This brings the food within reach.

Cottontails rarely look for food outside their burrows on windy days. Strong winds make it hard for them to hear. Hearing predators before they get too close is their main way to stay safe.

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  Juvenile cottontail standing in anticipation of food

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  Cottontails are very sociable animals within their peer group

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  Male desert cottontail at 8 weeks, and the same cottontail at 16 months of age

Types of Cottontail Species

Pleistocene fossil

Scientists have grouped cottontail rabbits into different types. These groups were first made in the 1800s based on how the rabbits looked. However, newer studies looking at their genes show that these old groups might not perfectly show how the rabbits are related. Still, these groups are helpful for understanding the different kinds of cottontails.

Here are some of the known species of cottontail rabbits:

Subgenus	Image	Common name	Scientific name	Where they live
Microlagus		Brush rabbit	Sylvilagus bachmani	West coast of North America, from Oregon to the southern tip of Baja California. Also on San José Island.
Sylvilagus		Desert cottontail	Sylvilagus audubonii	Western United States (from Montana to Texas) and in Northern and Central Mexico.
		Mexican cottontail	Sylvilagus cunicularius	Mexico, from Sinaloa to Oaxaca and Veracruz.
		Eastern cottontail	Sylvilagus floridanus	Eastern and south-central United States, southern Canada, eastern Mexico, Central America, and northernmost South America.
		Tres Marias cottontail	Sylvilagus graysoni	Tres Marias Islands, Mexico.
		Mountain cottontail	Sylvilagus nuttallii	Intermountain west of Canada and the United States.
		Appalachian cottontail or Allegheny cottontail	Sylvilagus obscurus	Eastern United States.
		Robust cottontail	Sylvilagus holzneri	Southwestern United States and nearby Mexico.
		New England cottontail	Sylvilagus transitionalis	New England, from southern Maine to southern New York.
Tapeti		Andean tapeti	Sylvilagus andinus	Venezuela south to Peru.
		Bogota tapeti	Sylvilagus apollinaris	Colombia.
		Swamp rabbit	Sylvilagus aquaticus	Southern United States.
		Common tapeti	Sylvilagus brasiliensis	Brazil (and Venezuela to Argentina if other populations are included).
		Ecuadorian tapeti	Sylvilagus daulensis	Ecuador.
		Dice's cottontail	Sylvilagus dicei	Costa Rica and Panama.
		Fulvous tapeti	Sylvilagus fulvescens	Colombia.
		Central American tapeti	Sylvilagus gabbi	Mexico to Panama.
		Northern tapeti	Sylvilagus incitatus	San Miguel Island, Panama.
		Omilteme cottontail	Sylvilagus insonus	Guerrero, Mexico.
		Nicefor's tapeti	Sylvilagus nicefori	Colombia.
		Marsh rabbit	Sylvilagus palustris	Southeastern United States.
		Suriname tapeti	Sylvilagus parentum	Western Suriname.
		Colombian tapeti	Sylvilagus salentus	Colombia.
		Santa Marta tapeti	Sylvilagus sanctaemartae	Colombia.
		Western tapeti	Sylvilagus surdaster	Ecuador.
		Coastal tapeti	Sylvilagus tapetillus	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
		Venezuelan lowland rabbit	Sylvilagus varynaensis	Western Venezuela.

Cottontails from the Past

Scientists have also found fossils of cottontail rabbits that lived long ago. These are called prehistoric species. Some examples include:

• Sylvilagus hibbardi (from the Early-Mid Pleistocene era)
• Sylvilagus leonensis - also known as the Dwarf cottontail (from the Late Pleistocene era)
• Sylvilagus webbi (from the Pleistocene era)

See also

In Spanish: Conejos de cola de algodón para niños