White-tailed Jackrabbit
Relatives in same Genus
Snowshoe Hare (L. americanus)
Arctic Hare (L. arcticus)
Black-tailed Jackrabbit (L. californicus)
Alaskan Hare (L. othus) ...
White-tailed Jackrabbits are hares of the open spaces, avoiding heavy woods. With prominent eyes high on their head, they have almost 360 degree vision, allowing them to see most approaching enemies.
White-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus townsendii
The White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) occurs across the northern portions of the western United States and much of south central Canada.
White-tailed jackrabbits are classed as a "game species" in Minnesota, and during the autumn and early winter hunting season, several thousand are killed each year for their meat. But predators take several times more jacks than do hunters.
White-tailed Jackrabbits live at a remarkably broad range of elevations, from 40 m to 4,300 m, and where they are in competition with Black-tailed Jackrabbits, they tend to move toward higher elevations.
White-tailed jackrabbits are another common species. They frequent North America's plains and farmlands, though they also inhabit wooded areas. They are prolific eaters and can consume over a pound (0.5 kilograms) of grasses, shrubs, or bark each day.
The white-tailed jackrabbit is actually a hare, not a rabbit. Baby jackrabbits can run immediately after being born. Adults can leap 3 meters (10 feet) at a time at speeds of 64 kilometers (40 miles) per hour.
The distribution of the white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii campanius Hollister) in Kansas. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., 43:385-389. Brown, H. L. 1945. Evidence of winter breeding of Peromyscus. Ecology, 26:308-309. Brown, H. L. 1946.
In central Wyoming, mule deer, pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii), and desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii) were present in 63 percent of coyote scats [58].
The white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendi) is the most northerly species and ranges from plains to high mountains. It has an entirely white tail, and its coat turns white or light gray in winter. It averages 20 in.
Prey includes Richardson's ground squirrels, white-tailed jackrabbits, black-tailed jackrabbits, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, and kangaroo rats. Other prey includes snakes, lizards, meadowlarks, grasshoppers, and crickets.
Species Lepus townsendii (white-tailed jackrabbit)
Species Lepus yarkandensis (Yarkand hare)
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There are 21 species of jackrabbit and hare in the United States. The white-tailed jackrabbit lives in the Northwest.
DID YOU KNOW?
A common type of hare in Arctic North America is the snowshoe hare, replaced further south by the black-tailed jackrabbit, white-tailed jackrabbit, and other species.
Hares live solitarily or in pairs. A common type of hare in arctic North America is the Snowshoe Hare, replaced further south by the Black-tailed Jackrabbit, White-tailed Jackrabbit and other species.
[14] Additional prey (listed by descending likelihood of predation) include lagomorphs, shrews, bats, snakes, waterfowl, fish, crustaceans and insects. Prey range in size from beetles to White-tailed Jackrabbits, ...
 See also: Jackrabbit, Rabbit, Cottontail, Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Snowshoe Hare
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