Monthly Archives: January 2019
Snowshoe Hare
Common name: Snowshoe hare, Scientific name: Lepus americanus. In the name it says snowshoe because their feet are so large they act like snowshoes. Snowshoe hares have a life span in the wild of up to 1 year. They are 16-20 inches (40.64-50.8 cm). Snowshoe hares are 2-4 pounds. These hares live in the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky mountains. They have snow-white fur but once the snow melts they it turns light brown. Snowshoe hares eat trees, shrubs, grass and most other plants. Lynx, fox, coyote, and some birds of prey are their predators. They have 1-8 babies per litter and 2-3 litters per year.
Information from:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/s/snowshoe-hare/
Swamp Rabbit
Swamp rabbits live in swamps as you can imagine. But they also live in marshland, and by rivers. They mostly live in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, but they also live in Texas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Georgia. Male swamp rabbits weigh from 4-5.6 lbs.(1.8-2.5 kg). Females weigh from 3.6-4.8 lbs.(1.6-2.7 kg). They are 17.8-21.7 inches (45-55 cm), with an average length of about 19.7 inches (50 cm). Male swamp rabbits will sometimes get into fights, when they do they stand on they back feet and use their teeth and claws to injure or even kill their opponent. They eat tree bark, tree saplings, twigs, shrubs, grass and sledges. They will also eat their droppings, but they only do that once per dropping then it comes out a second time dark brown or black. And I can’t seem to find any predators so, ya.
Appalachian Cottontail
Appalachian cottontails live from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. They live 2,001 to 2,500 ft (610 to 762 meters) in elevation. The average length of a Appalachian cottontail is 16.1 inches (408 mm). They weigh 1.667-2.542 lbs.(756-1153 grams). Female Appalachian cottontails are usually bigger than the males. Most Appalachian cottontails live less than a year. An adult female can breed 3 or 4 times per season and they have only 3-4 babies per litter. They eat blackberry, smilax and mountain laurel. They will also eat bark and twigs from black cherry, red maple and aspen trees. There is some habitat loss so they get uncovered so then their predators, hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes and bobcats. Humans will also hunt them.
