New England cottontail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New England cottontail |
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Sylvilagus
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transitionalis
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| New England cottontail range | |
The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a type of cottontail rabbit. People also call it the gray rabbit or wood rabbit. These rabbits live in small, separate groups in parts of New England and New York. You can find them from southern Maine down to southern New York.
This rabbit looks a lot like the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). The eastern cottontail was brought into the New England cottontail's home area and is now much more common there.
Sadly, the New England cottontail has lost a lot of its living space. Experts believe their habitat has shrunk by about 86% since 1960. Because of this big drop in numbers and habitat, the New England cottontail might get special protection under the Endangered Species Act. To help protect them, hunting rabbits is sometimes limited in areas where both types of cottontails live.
Rabbits need at least 12 acres of good habitat to have a healthy population. In New Hampshire, the number of these suitable areas dropped a lot in the early 2000s. The best home for them is about 25 acres of thick, young forest. Money has been used to help restore these habitats. This includes planting shrubs that the rabbits need. Private landowners can also get help if they create this type of brushy habitat on their land.
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What Does the New England Cottontail Look Like?
The New England cottontail is a medium-sized rabbit. It looks almost exactly like the eastern cottontail. It's so hard to tell them apart just by looking!
Scientists usually need to do special tests to know which rabbit is which. They might use genetic testing from tissue or even from rabbit droppings. Another way is to look at their skulls. The New England cottontail has jagged lines on its skull, while the eastern cottontail has smooth lines. Also, New England cottontails often have black fur between and on the front of their ears. Eastern cottontails usually don't have this.
These rabbits weigh about 2 to 3 pounds (995 to 1347 grams). They are about 15 to 17 inches (398 to 439 mm) long. Their fur is dark brown with a "penciled effect," and their tails are white underneath. Female New England cottontails are usually a bit bigger than the males.
Where Do New England Cottontails Live?
New England cottontails live in the New England part of the United States. However, they have lost a lot of their homes. Their modern living area is now less than 25% of where they used to live.
In 1960, these rabbits were found across many states. This included New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Today, their range has shrunk by more than 75%. They are no longer found in Vermont. Their numbers are so low that they only live in five smaller areas within their old range. Some studies even suggest they used to live in a small part of southern Quebec, Canada, but are gone from there now.
The main reason for the New England cottontail's decline is habitat destruction. They need thick, brushy areas to live. Before people settled in New England, these rabbits likely lived along river valleys. Natural events like beaver activity, ice storms, hurricanes, and wildfires helped create these thick, brushy areas. But people clearing forests and building new things have destroyed much of this habitat. Other animals that need thickets, like certain birds and reptiles, have also seen their numbers drop.
Other things have also made it harder for New England cottontails:
- Eastern Cottontails: In the early 1900s, over 200,000 eastern cottontails were brought in. These rabbits can live in many different places like fields and farms. They are also better at avoiding predators. This competition pushed out the New England cottontails.
- Invasive Plants: New plants like multiflora rose and honeysuckle were brought in. These plants might have taken over areas where the New England cottontail found its food.
- White-tailed Deer: The number of white-tailed deer has grown. Deer eat many of the same plants as the rabbits. They also damage the thick undergrowth that the rabbits need for shelter.
In 2011, scientists found that the New England cottontail was almost gone from Rhode Island. This was due to habitat loss, competition, and more predators. They tested nearly a thousand rabbit droppings. Only one sample had New England cottontail DNA.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also says the rabbit's range has shrunk a lot in New York. Because the two cottontail species look so similar, it's hard to know exactly where the New England cottontails are.
However, the New England cottontail has been found on Nantucket island. People thought they were gone from the island since the late 1990s. But because Nantucket still has large shrubland areas, experts hoped some might still be there. In 2013, a DNA sample from a rabbit caught in 2011 confirmed that New England cottontails still live on Nantucket.
What Kind of Home Do They Like?
The New England cottontail is a "habitat specialist." This means it needs a very specific type of home. They love young forests, usually less than 25 years old. These forests have a thick, tangled layer of plants underneath the trees. This is called scrubland or brushland. They especially like areas with blueberry or mountain laurel plants.
Studies show that when these young forests grew older and the thick undergrowth thinned out, the New England cottontail's habitat got worse. These rabbits prefer woodlands that are higher up or further north. They build their nests in small dips in the ground, about 5 inches (12 cm) deep and 4 inches (10 cm) wide. They line these nests with grass and fur. Rabbits rarely go more than 16 feet (5 meters) away from thick cover.
Who Hunts New England Cottontails?
Many animals hunt New England cottontails. These include weasels, domestic cats, red foxes, fishers, birds of prey (like hawks and owls), coyotes, and bobcats. In the past, bigger predators like gray wolves and eastern cougars might have hunted them too.
To escape danger, New England cottontails will run for cover. They might also "freeze" and use their cryptic coloration (camouflage) to blend in. When they run, they often move in a zig-zag pattern to confuse the predator. Because their habitat is small and doesn't have as much cover, they sometimes have to look for food in the open. This makes them more vulnerable to predators.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
New England cottontails usually have babies two to three times a year. The time of year they breed changes depending on where they live. It can be from January to September. In Connecticut, they breed from mid-March to mid-September. In Maine, it's from April to August. Pregnant females are seen between April and August.
A pregnancy lasts about 28 days. A mother rabbit can have anywhere from three to eight babies in one litter, but usually around five. Rabbits in colder, northern areas tend to have shorter pregnancies and more babies in each litter. This helps them have more litters during the warmer months.
During mating season, male rabbits gather around female rabbits in areas with lots of food and good cover. They do a special "courtship dance" that involves running and jumping over each other. Once a pair is together, the female is in charge during nesting, birth, and nursing.
Like all cottontails, New England cottontails don't live very long. Most only survive for about three years in the wild. Also, only about 15% of young rabbits make it past their first year. They become ready to have their own babies very early, often before they are one year old. Many young rabbits will breed in their first season.
Baby rabbits are born naked and with their eyes closed. The father rabbit doesn't help raise them. The mother rabbit nurses her babies in the nest for about 16 days. She often mates again before her young even leave the nest.
What Do New England Cottontails Eat?
New England cottontails are herbivores, which means they only eat plants. What they eat changes with the seasons and what plants are available.
In the spring and summer, they mostly eat soft, green plants. This includes leaves, stems, wood, bark, flowers, fruits, and seeds from grasses and other small plants. As fall arrives and goes into winter, they switch to eating mostly woody plants, like twigs and bark from shrubs and trees.
How Are We Helping Them?
The New England cottontail has been listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List since 1996. This means they are at risk of becoming endangered. They are also a candidate for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. They are listed as endangered in Maine and New Hampshire.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is looking for good habitats for these rabbits. Because they are rare and look so much like eastern cottontails, DNA tests from their droppings are a great way to find them. New England cottontails are listed differently in various states: "endangered" in New Hampshire and Maine, "extirpated" (meaning gone from the area) in Vermont and Quebec, and "species of special concern" or "interest" in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
Surveys are being done to find areas where new habitats can be created. They are also looking for places that might still have small groups of these rabbits. Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Connecticut are important areas for finding them. The USFWS has found populations on Nantucket and in Eastern Connecticut. More surveys are happening to find other groups of these rabbits in New England and New York.
In 2013, the State of Connecticut started a big project. They cleared 57 acres of old woods in Litchfield County. This was to create the open meadow and young forest areas that the New England cottontail needs to survive.
