Wildlife North America . com North American Animals - mamals, birds, reptiles, insects |
White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)White-tailed Jackrabbit Photograph by Dean Biggins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. License: Public Domain. (view image details) White-tailed Jackrabbit Photograph by Vic Hall, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. License: Public Domain. (view image details)
WHITE-TAILED JACKRABBIT FACTS
DescriptionThe White-tailed Jackrabbit is large hare with enormous ears. The fur color varies with season and habitat. In summer, the fur is yellowish brown to grayish brown in colour, with white or grey on the underside. The throat and face are darker. In northern parts where there is a lot of snow in winter, the coat is mainly white in winter with some buff color on the face, ears, feet and back. In southern parts only the sides turn white in winter, with back remaining buff-gray. The tail is always white and sometimes has a buff colored stripe on the top. The ears have white edges and have black tips all year round. Juveniles are similar but paler in colour. Size Length: 56cm - 65cm. Weight: 3 - 4 kg. The female is larger than the male. They are slightly larger than Black-tailed Jackrabbits. Environment open grasslands, pastures. Also found in forested areas up to high alpine tundra Food Grasses and herbaceous plants. In winter they eat bark, and other plants that are exposed through the snow. Breeding Females produce 1 or 4 litters annually. One to eleven leverets (average 5) are born after a gestation period of 36 - 43 days. The leverets are born fully-furred and open-eyed, and are weaned after about a month. Range west-central Canada and the United State from the Great Plains of Saskatchewan and Alberta east to southwest Ontario down into Wisconsin and across the continent to the Rocky Mountains, and south to central California Classification
Relatives in same Genus Snowshoe Hare (L. americanus) Arctic Hare (L. arcticus) Black-tailed Jackrabbit (L. californicus) Alaskan Hare (L. othus) Home | Mammals | Reptiles | Birds | Insects | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Us |