Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis)

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This page last updated on 03/26/2018

(Fig. 01)

Picture Notes: All of the pictures on this page were taken at the Floyd Lamb Park in Las Vegas. Figure 01 was captured on 9 February 2016. The remaining pictures were taken on 12 February 2018. On this last visit there were more and a dozen of the furry little animals.

(Fig. 02)

Description: The pygmy rabbit is the smallest rabbit species in North America and can fit in the palm of a hand. Their average weight is 0.827 to about 1.102 lb. Their body length is from 9.3 to 11.6 inches; females are slightly larger than males. As you can see from (Fig. 03), their fur color varies from brown to dark grey with white around the margins of their short, round ears. Their ears and feet are densely covered in hair and they have a very short tail, 15 to 24 mm. The pygmy rabbit is one of only two rabbit species in America to dig its own burrow. Burrows are dug in deep loose soil and are extensive, with multiple, interconnecting chambers. They also use natural cavities and the burrows of other animals. Burrows have several entrances, usually at the bases of large sagebrush shrubs. Tunnels widen below the surface, forming chambers, and extend to a maximum depth of about 3.3 feet. Burrows typically have 4 or 5 entrances but may have as few as 2 or as many as 10. Pygmy rabbits use a system of runways between food plants, both above ground in the summer and below the snow in winter. Pygmy rabbits use burrows more in the winter for thermal cover than at other times of the year. In areas where soil is shallow pygmy rabbits live in holes among volcanic rocks, in stone walls, around abandoned buildings, and in burrows made by badgers and marmots. They move by scampering close to the ground and generally don’t leap. Pygmy rabbits are normally in areas on deep soils with tall, dense sagebrush which they use for shelter and food. Individual sagebrush plants in areas inhabited by pygmy rabbits are often 6 feet or more in height. Extensive, well-used runways interlace the sage thickets and provide travel and escape routes. Weasels are the principal predators of pygmy rabbits. Coyotes, red foxes, badgers, bobcats, great horned owls and marsh hawks also prey on pygmy rabbits. The range of the pygmy rabbit includes most of the Great Basin and some of the adjacent intermountain areas of the western United States. Pygmy rabbits are found in southwestern Montana from the extreme southwest corner near the Idaho border north to Dillon and Bannack in Beaverhead County. Distribution continues west to southern Idaho and southern Oregon and south to northern Utah, Nevada, and eastern California.

(Fig. 03)

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Index for Category - Rabbits

Last Updated 02/22/2020

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Rabbits:
     Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) - 2018
     Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Goodsprings, NV - 2013
     Black-tailed Jackrabbit at DNWR - 2013
     Black-tailed Jackrabbit at Calico Basin - 2012
     Black-tailed Jackrabbit at Pahranagat NWR - 2012
     Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) Duck Creek Trail - 2012

Black-tailed Jackrabbit at Ash Meadows

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Picture Notes: On 10/29/2015 to the Ash Meadow National Wildlife Range, the only real sign of wildlife was a Black-tailed Jackrabbit, even though I was unable to capture a picture. Other than a few birds, a variety of waterfowl on the Crystal Reservoir, and the occasional small desert lizard, this jackrabbit was the only other sign of wildlife we spotted all day. I didn’t even see any desert chipmunks.  I was wondering if last weeks heavy rain and floods was the reason wildlife was so scare on this visit.

Description: The Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), commonly known as the American Desert Hare, is native to the western United States and Mexico. Its ears have a black patch at the tip and are nearly as long as the hind foot. The top of the tail has a black stripe that extends onto its rump, The under-parts are usually clear; upper-parts have a dark buff, heavily sprinkled with blackish hair.  It can reach a length of about 2 feet and weight between 3 to 6 pounds. It is the third largest North American hare, after the antelope jackrabbit and the white-tailed jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mostly mixed shrub-grassland terrains. They typically bread in the spring, but depending upon location may continue all year round in warm climates. Their young are borne fully furred with eyes open. Because they are well camouflaged and mobile within minutes of birth, the females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. Average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions. They grow rather rapidly and reach adult size in about 7 or 8 months. The black-tailed jackrabbit does not migrate or hibernate during winter and uses the same habitat of between .5 and 1.5 square miles year-round. Its diet is composed of various shrubs and small trees during fall and winter months and grasses and forbs in spring and early summer. The natural enemies of rabbits include the larger birds of prey and such carnivores as coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers, and weasels. When molested it depends on speed and its keen senses of hearing and sight to elude its enemies.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)

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(Fig. 01)

Picture Notes: On 08/16/2013, my friend Harvey Smith and I came upon these black-tailed jackrabbits (Fig. 01), commonly known as the American desert hare, early in the morning as we were headed out into the desert on the outskirts of Goodsprings, Nevada in search of some old abandoned mines. Though I was only able to capture two pictures, we actually observed four or five of these speedy little creatures scrambling along the side of the road in front of us. With ears nearly as long as their hind feet, tipped with a distinctive black patch, combined with a tail that is topped with a black stripe that extends onto its rump, these abundant mammals are quite common in desert areas throughout Nevada and the rest of the western United States. Other than a few birds, a couple of desert chipmunks and the occasional lizard, they were the largest signs of wildlife we spotted all day.

Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) at Duck Creek Trail

(Fig. 01)

06/15/2012 Picture Notes: I captured this Desert Cottontail during an early morning hike in the Duck Creek Trail area as it passed along the Las Vegas Wash, just south of the Clark County Wetlands Park. These little fellas were everywhere; we must have seen at least a half dozen darting in and out of their shady resting spots as we walked the roads. Though most of them quickly darted away, I was finally able to get pictures of this one from a distance using a 200mm telephoto lens. Because I was hurrying and shooting "handheld", hoping to capture a picture before he ran away, the focus is not the best.

(Fig. 02)

Description: The Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), is also known as Audubon's cottontail. Cottontails are named after their rounded tail with white fur, which is shaped like a cottony ball (Fig. 01). The desert portion of their common name arises from their distribution across the arid lands of the American Southwest. It can be found throughout the western United States from eastern Montana to western Texas, and in northern and central Mexico. Westwards its range extends to central Nevada and southern California. (Fig. 03) Click Image to Enlarge   Adults are about 14 inches tall, between 13 to 17 inches long and weigh up to 3.3 lbs. Their ears are generally between 3.1 to 3.9 inchs long and are more often carried erect. Their hind feet are quite large, about 3.0 inchs in length (Fig. 03). Their fur is a light grayish-brown in color, with almost white fur on the belly. Females tend to be larger than the males, but have much smaller home ranges, about 1 acre, compared with about 15 acres for a male. Cottontail rabbits are very prolific and those feeding on green growth may have up to five litters of two to four young a year. The young are reared in nests which are made in pear-shaped excavations in the ground with the entrances only about 5 cm in diameter. Below, they are flared out to a width of 15-25 cm; the depth varies from 15 to 25 cm. They are lined with a layer of dried grasses, and the inside is filled entirely with rabbit fur in which the young repose. The female lies or squats over the opening to nurse her young, which are blind and hairless at birth. By 10 days of age the eyes have opened and within another 4 days the young are able to move outside the nest, although they remain near the nest for about 3 weeks. Desert cottontails rarely stray far from their natal or birthplace area. Although they are able to breed throughout the year, most young rabbits are produced in spring when the new growth of plants is most available. At other times of the year, selected foods include twigs, newly emerging grasses, weeds, and even cacti.   Cottontails rarely drink, and free water does not appear to be a requirement for either their survival or reproduction. It gets its water mostly from the plants it eats or from dew. Like most lagomorphs, it is coprophagic, re-ingesting and chewing its own feces: this allows more nutrition to be extracted. The desert cottontail is not usually active in the middle of the day, but it can be seen in the early morning or late afternoon. It mainly eats grass, but will eat many other plants, herbs, vegetables and even cacti. It gets its water mostly from the plants it eats or from dew. Like most lagomorphs, it is coprophagic, re-ingesting and chewing its own feces: this allows more nutrition to be extracted. The cottontail's normal anti-predator behavior is to run away in evasive zigzags reaching speeds of over 19 mph. Against small predators or other desert cottontails, it will defend itself by slapping with a front paw and nudging; usually preceded by a hop straight upwards as high as two feet when threatened or taken by surprise. Cottontails are preyed upon by a number of predators, including golden and bald eagles, great horned owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, domestic dogs and cats and humans. Their life span is 2 years or less.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) at DNWR

(Fig. 01)

03/01/2013 Picture Notes: While hiking the Yucca Peak Fossil Beds inside the Desert National Wildlife Range, I came upon a relatively young, black-tailed jackrabbit (Fig. 01). After surprising him by walking up to a bush that he was sitting next to, he ran to a distance of only about twenty feet away (Fig. 02), stopped with his back to me, and then to my utter surprise, sat motionless for several minutes, allowing me to snap a series of pictures. At first he was standing, however as I approached, he laid on the ground with his ears tucked back (Fig. 03). Eventually, I was able to walk all the way around him, to the point that he was staring directly at me (Fig. 04). After he bolted the second time, I captured the picture in (Fig. 01) from a distance of about fifty feet with my 20x zoom lens. So far, my experience with these critters is that they have very acute eyesight and hearing that allows them to quickly detect potential danger, causing them to run away at very high speeds.

(Fig. 02)

(Fig. 03)

(Fig. 04)

Description: The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), commonly known as the American desert hare, is native to the western United States and Mexico. Its ears have a black patch at the tip and is nearly as long as the hind foot. The top of the tail has a black stripe that extends onto its rump, The under-parts are usually clear; upper-parts have a dark buff, heavily sprinkled with blackish hair. Full grown, it can reach a length of between 16-28 inches, head to tail, with a tail between 2-5 inches and ears up to 8 inches long. Their huge ears are used to regulate its body heat by increasing or decreasing blood flow. This helps the jackrabbit absorb heat or cool off. Smaller than the female, male jackrabbits can weigh from 9-11 pounds, while females are usually 11-13 pounds. It is the third largest North American hare, after the antelope jackrabbit and the white-tailed jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mostly mixed shrub-grassland terrains. The black-tailed jackrabbit does not migrate or hibernate during winter and uses the same habitat of between .5 and 1.5 square miles year-round. Its diet is composed of various shrubs and small trees during fall and winter months and grasses and forbs in spring and early summer. Nevada has a high black-tailed jackrabbit population and the animal has historically been unprotected in the state. They typically bread in the spring, but depending upon location may continue all year round in warm climates. Their young are borne fully furred with eyes open. The jackrabbit's eyes are situated on the sides of its head, giving it all-around vision which enables it to spot danger coming from any direction. The soles of a jackrabbit's feet are covered with fur. This cushions their feet on hard ground and insulates them from the scorching heat of the desert sand. Their fur is a silver and tan color that blends in well with the desert and chaparral habitat that it lives in. Because they are well camouflaged and mobile within minutes of birth, the females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. Average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions. They grow rather rapidly and reach adult size in about 7 or 8 months. The natural enemies of rabbits include the larger birds of prey and such carnivores as coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers, and weasels. Jackrabbits always seem to be on their guard, very alert to their surroundings and watchful of potential threats. When molested it depends its keen senses of hearing and sight to detect danger and relies on its speed, up to 36 mph, to elude predators. Strict vegetarians, they feed on clover, alfalfa and other abundant greens during spring and summer. During the lean fall and winter months, they subsist on woody and dried vegetation. They leave their resting spots at dusk to feed on tough grasses, leaves, and twigs and will also eat sagebrush and cacti. They only come out at night to feed. They conserve water by eating their food twice. Jackrabbits are coprophagic, meaning they eat their own waste . When eating their feces the second time, they can absorb more of the moisture and nutrition that was missed in the first digestive process. Jackrabbits rarely have to drink and get most of their water from the plants they eat. Black-tailed Jackrabbits mate year around. They have one to four litters per year with one to eight young per litter. Young jackrabbits are born bright-eyed and active, and after only one month they can fend for themselves. They reach sexual maturity in 1 year. After mating, the female, or doe, will have a litter of 1-6 leverets every 3-4 months. The mother will leave the leverets in separate hiding places, and come back in the evening to nurse each one. After one month they are on their own. When the young are weaned after 3 weeks, the female mates again and produces another litter. In the wild they have a life span of 1-5 years.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) at Pahranagat NWR

(Fig. 01)

06/18/2012 Picture Notes: On a stop at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge I spent a couple of hours walking around its lakes, springs and desert meadows taking in the scenic views and observing the abundant wildlife. Arriving here in the early morning hours, we observed numerous birds, roadrunners, cottontail rabbits and long eared jackrabbits (Figs. 01 – 03) as we hiked around the refuge’s headquarters. Notice the distinct black patch on the huge ears of the Black-tailed Jackrabbit in (Fig. 02). In the short time we were there, we must have seen more than a dozen rabbits nibbling away at a variety of desert vegetation.

(Fig. 02)

(Fig. 03)

Description: The Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), commonly known as the American Desert Hare, is native to the western United States and Mexico. Its ears have a black patch at the tip and are nearly as long as the hind foot. The top of the tail has a black stripe that extends onto its rump, The under-parts are usually clear; upper-parts have a dark buff, heavily sprinkled with blackish hair.  It can reach a length of about 2 feet and weight between 3 to 6 pounds. It is the third largest North American hare, after the antelope jackrabbit and the white-tailed jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mostly mixed shrub-grassland terrains. They typically bread in the spring, but depending upon location may continue all year round in warm climates. Their young are borne fully furred with eyes open. Because they are well camouflaged and mobile within minutes of birth, the females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. Average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions. They grow rather rapidly and reach adult size in about 7 or 8 months. The black-tailed jackrabbit does not migrate or hibernate during winter and uses the same habitat of between .5 and 1.5 square miles year-round. Its diet is composed of various shrubs and small trees during fall andwinter months and grasses and forbs in spring and early summer. The natural enemies of rabbits include the larger birds of prey and such carnivores as coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers, and weasels. When molested it depends on speed and its keen senses of hearing and sight to elude its enemies.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) at Calico Basin

05/10/2012 Picture Notes:  I snapped this picture of a black-tailed jackrabbit on a visit to Red Springs in Calico Basin, a part of the Red Rock National Conservation Area on the west side of Las Vegas Nevada. There were actually two of these guys, but due to their keen sense of sight, hearing and great speed, they were off and running before I barely got a shot. This above crop is from a slightly out of focus picture was taken with a 200mm telephoto lens at more than a 1,000 yards. Description: The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), commonly known as the American desert hare, is native to the western United States and Mexico. Its ears have a black patch at the tip and is nearly as long as the hind foot. The top of the tail has a black stripe that extends onto its rump, The under-parts are usually clear; upper-parts have a dark buff, heavily sprinkled with blackish hair.  It can reach a length of about 2 feet and weight between 3 to 6 pounds. It is the third largest North American hare, after the antelope jackrabbit and the white-tailed jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mostly mixed shrub-grassland terrains. They typically bread in the spring, but depending upon location may continue all year round in warm climates. Their young are borne fully furred with eyes open. Because they are well camouflaged and mobile within minutes of birth, the females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. Average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions. They grow rather rapidly and reach adult size in about 7 or 8 months. The black-tailed jackrabbit does not migrate or hibernate during winter and uses the same habitat of between .5 and 1.5 square miles year-round. Its diet is composed of various shrubs and small trees during fall andwinter months and grasses and forbs in spring and early summer. The natural enemies of rabbits include the larger birds of prey and such carnivores as coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers, and weasels. When molested it depends on speed and its keen senses of hearing and sight to elude its enemies.

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