Eastern Cottontail
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Lagomorpha Family: Leporidae Genus: Sylvilagus
Species: Floridanus
The Eastern Cottontail is an adorable white-tailed and large-eyed rabbit that can be found at woodland edges while grazing on grass and other vegetation. It has a short brown coat during the summer, and it molts in preparation for the winter, replacing the shorter coat with long, warm fur that is a shade of grey. During the breeding season, each female produces about 3-4 litters of about 5 offspring each. Although the Eastern Cottontail produces a great number of offspring every year, few kits survive to adulthood, and most never survive past their third year. This species is intolerant of others of its kind and is therefore solitary. If threatened it may freeze to avoid being detected. If it is flushed out, it will flee in a zig-zagged pattern, and it can run up to 18 miles per hour.
Conservation status: Least concern
Description: Brown coat above and white below; grayish in the winter and brown in the summer; large eyes; the tail is bright white below and can be seen when running
Size: Ranges from 16 to 19 inches in length
Diet: Grasses, clover, tree buds, and tree leaves
Habitat: Meadows, fields, and woodland edges
Credit source: Animal Diversity Web
