Family: Leporidae, Hares and Rabbits view all from this family
Description Buffy gray above; white or pale gray below. In winter, white or very pale gray in most of range (except most southerly parts). Tail white above and below; sometimes with dusky stripe on top, but not extending onto rump. Long ears; buff or gray on fronts; on backs, whitish with black stripe on tip. L 22–26" (565–655 mm); T 2 5/8–4 3/8" (66–112 mm); HF 5 3/4–6 3/4" (145–172 mm); E 3 3/4–4 3/8" (96–113 mm); Wt 5 3/4–9 1/2 lb (2.6–4.3 kg).
Similar Species Black-tailed Jackrabbit has black on tail continuing up rump. Snowshoe Hare is smaller, dark brown in summer.
Breeding Up to 4 litters per year, each of 1–6 young (average 4); born late April, early June, July, and August–September, after gestation of a month or more.
Habitat Barren, grazed, or cultivated lands; grasslands.
Range Eastern Washington, e Oregon, and ne California east through Minnesota, Iowa, and Kansas.
Discussion One of the least social of hares, the White-tailed Jackrabbit tends to be solitary except during the mating season, when three or four individuals may group together. A nocturnal animal, it hides in forms during the day. In winter, it may hide by day in hollows in the snow connected by burrows. Traveling in 12- to 20-foot (3.7–6 m) leaps, this jackrabbit can maintain a speed of 35 mph (55 km/h), with spurts up to 45 mph (75 km/h). When cornered, it will swim, dog-paddling with all four feet. In summer, it eats grasses, clover, and other green vegetation; in winter, it feeds on twigs, buds, and dried vegetation. Bucks fight furiously during the mating season, mostly by kicking out with their hindfeet, and biting when they can. The young are born in a form or in a nest lined with hair on the ground. The young soon forage for themselves and are independent in four to eight weeks, depending on locality. This species may produce up to four litters, but in the northern part of its range it has only one litter per year.
