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Wonders of the black-tailed jackrabbit
The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
↑ All about haresBuilt for hot, open country
The black-tailed jackrabbit is named for the black stripe along the top of its tail. Here are three true things about how it copes with life in dry country.
Ears that cool
Its long ears help it hear well and help keep its body at the right temperature. When the jackrabbit gets too hot, blood vessels in its ears widen, which helps heat escape.
SourceZigzag sprinter
Coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers, large snakes and large birds of prey all hunt it. To get away, it runs in zigzags at speeds of up to 64 kilometres an hour.
SourceGiant bounds
When it is startled from cover, a black-tailed jackrabbit can spring about 6 metres in a single bound.
Source
A black-tailed jackrabbit resting in the shade of a desert bush
Desert day
Dozing in the shade, feeding at dusk
The black-tailed jackrabbit lives across the western United States, in deserts, open plains and foothills. On a hot day it dozes in the shade, lying in a shallow dip in the ground. It goes looking for food early in the morning and late in the evening. It is a herbivore, so it eats only plants, such as grasses, mesquite and cacti. Its eyes sit on the sides of its head, so it can see in front, to the side and behind. A grown jackrabbit weighs between about 1.8 and 3.6 kilograms (four to eight pounds).
SourceBig appetite
A long-eared name and a lot of eating
Early settlers in the American Southwest noticed this animal's extraordinarily long ears. They called it the "jackass rabbit", and the name was later shortened to "jackrabbit". It is found from the southwestern United States into Mexico, and as far east as Missouri. It lives in desert scrubland, prairies, farmland and dunes, from sea level up to about 3,800 metres. A jackrabbit eats almost constantly. When grasses and other plants are not available, it eats twigs and young bark. It gets nearly all the water it needs from the plants it eats. Fifteen jackrabbits eat as much in one day as a large grazing cow.
SourceThe pictures on this page are AI-generated illustrations. The facts are checked against the sources linked.