Mammals · Lagomorpha · Leporidae

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Lepus californicus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The black-tailed jackrabbit is the commonest hare of the western United States and northern Mexico, recognisable by its enormous black-tipped ears and by the dark stripe that runs along the top of its tail and up onto the rump. It is crepuscular, solitary and prolific, and sustains much of the predator community of the south-west: coyotes, bobcats, golden eagles and hawks. It has benefited from heavy grazing, which replaces tall grass with low scrub and open ground.

Weight

1.3 kg – 3.5 kg

Size

47 cm – 63 cm

Lifespan

7 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

DesertGrasslandHerbivore Nocturnal Solitary Desert Grassland Mammal

3countries 7parks11same family

Fun facts

GeneralIts 15 cm ears work as radiators to shed heat in the desert.
Its ears, up to 17 centimetres long, work as radiators: flushed with blood, they shed heat by radiating it to the sky, letting it survive in the desert without sweating or panting.
It reaches 60 kilometres an hour and leaps more than three metres, throwing in high scouting bounds between strides to see over the scrub.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Short grassland, desert scrub, farmland and roadsides of western North America
Sexual maturity: 8 months
Gestation / incubation: 44 days
Litter / clutch size: 1

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/