Rabbits Native to Oklahoma

Description

• A desert cottontail's fur is brownish-gray. This rabbit species possesses the trademark white, cottony tail. The long, thick fur of eastern cottontails is either brown or gray with white along the bottom of the body and the tail. These rabbits sometimes sport a white mark on the forehead. A swamp rabbit may be brown or black in color with a white tail, throat and underbelly. As the name implies, the tip of the tail of a black-tailed jackrabbit is black; its long ears are tipped in black as well. Thick, brownish-gray fur dominates a jackrabbit's upper body, while white covers the underside of the body and tail. This rabbit's hind legs are longer than its forelegs.

Habitat

• River banks, streams, lakes, marshes, floodplains and wooded swamps are home to swamp rabbits. They usually venture no further than about a mile from a water source, but range availability has been reduced due to damming and drainage in Oklahoma. For escape cover, swamp rabbits seek thick vegetation, logs and hollow trees. Black-tailed jackrabbits reside in hot, arid locations. They possess an intense fear of water and, if cornered, will not even attempt to escape through shallow water. Eastern cottontails dwell in forests, sagebrush areas, grassy bottomlands and sand dunes. Rock piles, burrows, dense brush and woody vegetation provide refuge from predators. Desert cottontails inhabit rocky regions, prairies, plains and woodlands; they hide from danger in holes and dense brush.

Food

• Shrubs, sage plants and a variety of grasses are the uncultivated vegetation of choice for black-tailed jackrabbits. Among planted crops, these mammals munch on an abundance of wheat and maize that is meant to feed livestock. Swamp rabbits chomp on tree bark, shrubs and twigs. Swamp rabbits as well as eastern cottontails nibble on browse -- tender, ground-level twigs, shoots and leaves -- and weedy forbs (a non-grass-like herb), herbaceous plants, grass-like sedges and cedar berries. Desert cottontails prefer diverse grasses but also feed on vegetables, fruits and nuts, if obtainable.

Reproduction and Growth

• Following a gestation period of 27 days, four to seven offspring are born to a female eastern cottontail. Fully grown eastern cottontails weigh between 2 and 3 lbs. For a female desert cottontail, a 28-day gestation period is common. About five yearly litters each yield an average of three tiny individuals. Adult desert cottontails weigh approximately 2 lbs. Gestation for female swamp rabbits ranges from 35 to 40 days. Each of up to six litters per year produces from one to six young. With an adult weight ranging from 3 to 6 lbs. and a length from 18 to 22 inches, the swamp rabbit is the largest member of the cottontail species. The average gestation period for female black-tailed jackrabbits is about 43 days. Each of the three to four litters produced per year bears two to four babies. Black-tailed jackrabbits reach a weight of about 7 lbs.

Survival Tactics

• In extremely hot weather, a black-tailed jackrabbit bears the intense heat by panting and burrowing underground. After sprinting at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour, a clever desert cottontail will climb a tree or swim to escape danger. First lifting its tail as a warning, an eastern cottontail executes consecutive 8-foot jumps and rapid leaps in a zigzag pattern to escape from a predator. In daylight hours, a swamp rabbit remains out of sight in tall grasses or inside of a hollow log. These rabbits can swim and, if threatened, will elude their pursuer by hiding in water and remaining motionless, with only their nose above the surface.