Stats

Lifespan: Up to 5 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Crepuscular
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North America
Movement: Hopping
Breeding: Live birth
Defense: Speed
Status: Uncommon

About

A small rabbit of sagebrush and rocky slopes in the western United States, the Mountain Cottontail has notably shorter ears than other cottontails and relies on nearby rock piles or brush for quick escape cover. It is one of the few cottontails able to climb into low tree branches or shrubs to escape predators.

Life cycle

1.
newborn kit
A blind, nearly hairless kit nurses briefly each day and stays hidden in the burrow or form.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred and venturing out to graze, still small and easily startled.
3.
adult
Fully grown and able to breed.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Sylvilagus
Species: Sylvilagus nuttallii