The White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii), also known as the Prairie Hare and the White Jack, is a hare found in western North America. Briefly reputed to have been extirpated [3], it is now clear from observations, roadkilled specimens and historical records that white-tailed jackrabbits are still extant in Yellowstone National Park [4]. This animal, like all hares and rabbits, is a member of family Leporidae of order Lagomorpha.
Ten Facts about White-tailed Jackrabbit
- Jackrabbits have longer ears, legs and bodies than rabbits and can move as quickly as 40 mph.
- There are four species of jackrabbits found in the United States: white-tailed, black-tailed, snowshoe and antelope.
- The white-tailed jackrabbit dwells in California's east side of the Sierra, Nevada and Cascade ranges.
- The home range of these rabbits extends up to 2 to 3 km in diameter.
- The total length of the body of a mature white-tailed jackrabbit is about 22 to 25.6 inches (56 to 65 cm) and its weight is 6.6 to 8.8 pounds (3 to 4 kg).
- The white-tailed jackrabbit is most commonly found in grasslands, green pastures, and forests at high altitudes.
- It feeds on herbaceous plants and grasses. In winters, the food is scarce and so, they depend on barks and plants that come out of the snow.
- The gestation period lasts for 5 to 6 weeks. The babies are fully furred at birth with their eyes open. The mother nurses the babies for about one month and then, they are weaned out.
- They are very active in the morning, at late afternoon, and at evening when it is cool. The rest of the day, they rest in the shallow depressions at the base of bushes or in hollow spaces in snow.
- Lives to approximately 8 years of age in the wild.
