Family: Leporidae, Hares and Rabbits view all from this family
Description A small rabbit. Reddish brown mottled with black in summer; paler, but still mottled, in winter. Short legs. Small tail. Short, dark ears. L 11–14 3/4" (280–375 mm); T 3/4–1 5/8" (20–43 mm); HF 2 5/8–3 3/8" (67–85 mm); E 2–2 1/2" (50–64 mm); Wt 1–2 lb (450–965 g).
Endangered Status The Riparian Brush Rabbit, a subspecies of the Brush Rabbit, is on the U.S. Endangered Species List. It is classified as endangered in California. This rabbit once occupied wooded riverside habitat along the San Joaquin River and Stanislaus Rivers and numbered over 100,000. Water diversion practices altered the rabbit's habitat throughout its range, and today it is known to exist only in Caswell Memorial State Park, on the Stanislaus River, and probably numbers only two or three hundred. This small population is further threatened by floods and fire.
Similar Species Desert Cottontail, the only cottontail in the same range (in California), is larger and has longer tail and hindlegs.
Breeding Mates February–August. Gestation about 22 days. 5 litters per year, each of 1–7 young (average 3).
Habitat Thick, brushy areas, especially where some brush has been cut.
Range West Coast from Oregon to Baja California, Mexico.
Discussion Adult Brush Rabbits are primarily nocturnal, but the young are often active by day. This species does not dig burrows and rarely retreats into the burrow of another animal, even when pursued, although it may climb into low brush to escape. Green clover is a favorite food, but the Brush Rabbit also eats grasses, plantains, and various berries, and, in winter, woody vegetation, primarily salal and Douglas fir. The mother covers the nest with a blanket of grass before leaving it. The young mature in four to five months. Lynx, Coyotes, hawks, and snakes are among the predators of this species.
