The eastern cottontail is the most common, and geographically widespread, of all North American rabbits. It has been recorded at all elevations in the park (Linzey, 1995a ;1995b). Cottontails may attain a speed of about 29 km per hour, although this cannot be maintained for more than 0.8 km (Linzey, 1998). Cottontails depend more on ducking and dodging than upon speed to escape their enemies, and will often travel in a roundabout route and then return to near their starting place. The short, fluffy tail is brownish above and white below. As the tail is usually turned upward when the rabbit runs, the white part is the most conspicuous and is the source of the common name, cottontail.
Species Measurements:
- Adult Total Length: 407-423 mm (16-17 in.)
- Tail: 26-47 mm (1-1? in.)
- Hind Foot: 90-100 mm (3-4 in.)
- Weight: 900-1,800 g (2-4 lb.)
Physical Characteristics:
The eastern cottontail is a medium-sized rabbit in which the nape of the neck is rusty. The dorsal coloration varies from reddish-brown to grayish-brown sprinkled with black. The ears are dark grayish-tan in color, bordered with black. The underparts are grayish-white except for the chest, which is brownish. The short, fluffy tail is brownish above and white below. As the tail is usually turned upward when the rabbit runs, the white part is the most conspicuous and is the source of the common name, cottontail. The tops of the hind feet are tan to whitish. Five toes are present on the forefeet, and four on the hind feet. Females possess four pairs of mammae.
Habitat:
The eastern cottontail is found in a variety of habitats including old fields, brushy clearings, brier patches, hedgerows, orchards, and along the edges of woodlands. The Komareks found this species most often inhabited open woods and broomsedge fields. Although Kellogg (1939) found one eastern cottontail in a rhododendron thicket in hemlock woods, he noted that they were most abundant in abandoned farm fields overgrown with broomsedge, weeds, brush, brier patches, and thickets bordering deciduous woods and small streams.
Reproduction:
Daylength is the basic mechanism controlling the onset of breeding, particularly in the males. However, the frequency and extent of late-winter periods of warm and cold temperatures result in some variation in the onset of breeding from year to year. Colder than normal temperatures delay breeding, while warmer temperatures result in earlier breeding. Each female produces several litters of two to six young during the breeding season, with most breeding in the park occurring between March and August. Gestation is 26 to 28 days. A female may breed again before her young are a day old. Young have been observed in May and June, and half-grown cottontails have been recorded in July and September. Three young cottontails whose eyes had just opened were observed on May 20 by Stupka (1937). A nest containing young was discovered on the summit of Mt. LeConte.
Shortly before the litter arrives, the female cottontail digs a nest cavity in the ground about 15 to 18 cm deep. This depression is usually hidden by tall grass or bushes. The nest, or form, is lined with grass and tufts of fur pulled from the female's body.
Newborn cottontails are pink in color, blind, and helpless. The female normally visits the nest only near dawn to nurse the young. During the day she keeps her distance so that attention will not be drawn to the nest. When the female leaves the nest, she covers the young with grass and fur for warmth, and scratches leaves over the nest to hide it.
Young cottontails are well-furred within a week. They open their eyes between six and nine days, and leave their nests at about 2 weeks of age. Many cottontails breed for the first time in the spring following their birth.
Longevity:
Most cottontails die before they are a year old, but there are reports of wild individuals reaching five and seven years of age (Linzey, 1995a).
Terrestrial Ecology:
Eastern cottontails are chiefly nocturnal, leaving their forms, or nests, at dusk, and remaining active until late morning. Most of the daylight hours are spent in a burrow, in a form amid dense vegetation, or in the shelter of a brush pile. Most species of cottontails do not construct their own burrows, but instead, occupy burrows made by other animals, particularly woodchucks.
Locomotion is usually by short jumps or hops, although faster progress may be made by longer leaps. Cottontails may attain a speed of about 29 km per hour, although this cannot be maintained for more than 0.8 km (Linzey, 1998). Cottontails depend more on ducking and dodging than upon speed to escape their enemies, and will often travel in a circuitous route and then return to near their starting place. Eastern cottontails do not take to water readily, but they can swim if necessary.
The cottontail is solitary. Seldom are two or more found together, except for the young, and for mating cottontails. The home range size varies from a fraction of a hectare up to 9.4 ha, although breeding males may range across an area of 41 ha or more. In general, males range more widely than females.
Hearing is acute, and cottontails can move their ears at will to catch sounds from various directions. Their senses of smell and sight are excellent as well.
Feeding Habits:
Cottontails are herbivorous, and eat many kinds of vegetation, depending on the seasonal availability of plants. Foods include grass, clover, cultivated and wild flowers, and many types of cultivated crops. The list of plant items eaten is nearly endless. During the winter months, they feed upon twigs and bark, and may girdle fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. Rabbit cuttings are easily identified because they are made at a sharp 45 degree angle from the vertical axis, which looks like they had been cut with pruning shears, as opposed to deer cuttings, which are pulled off, leaving a ragged edge.
Rabbits and hares expel two types of fecal pellets - greenish and brown. The greenish pellets contain partially digested vegetation and are commonly reingested, a process known as coprophagy. Greenish pellets have a high protein content, and contain large amounts of B vitamins produced by intestinal bacteria (Hansen and Flinders, 1969). Reingestion allows the animals to spend relatively little time exposed to predators while in the field feeding. They consume green vegetation rapidly and then make optimum use of it in the safety of their brushpile or burrow. It is somewhat analogous to cud-chewing in cows and other ruminant animals.
Predators and Defense:
Black rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta) have been observed feeding on young cottontails in the park. The stomachs of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) taken in July and September contained half-grown cottontails (Stupka, 1942, 1947; Savage, 1967). A coyote was observed carrying a rabbit in June, 1992 (Linzey, 1995b).
Parasites:
Ticks (Haemophysalis leporis-palustris), fleas, and botfly larvae (Cuterebra sp.) were recorded by Komarek and Komarek (1938).
The eastern cottontail is the most common, and geographically widespread, of all North American rabbits. It ranges from Costa Rica through Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico, and throughout most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.
The eastern cottontail has been recorded at all elevations in the park (Linzey, 1995a ;1995b).
References:
Chapman, J.A., J.G. Hockman, and M.M. Ojeda C. 1980. Sylvilagus floridanus. Mammalian Species No. 136: 1-8. American Society of Mammalogists.
Hansen, R.M. and J.T. Flinders. 1969. Food Habits of North American Hares. Colorado State University Range Science Department Science Series 31.
Kellogg, R. 1939. Annotated List of Tennessee Mammals. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 86 (3051): 245-303.
Komarek, E. V. and R. Komarek. 1938. Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 5(6): 137-162.
Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.
Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1): 1-81.
Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia.
Savage, T. 1967. The Diet of Rattlesnakes and Copperheads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Copeia 1967 (1): 226-227.
Stupka, A. 1935-63. Nature Journal, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 28 vols. (years) each with index. (Typewritten copy in files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park library).