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Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
Black-tailed Jackrabbit eating berries, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Utah Photograph by James Phelps . Some rights reserved. (view image details) 
Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Texas Photograph by pschemp. Some rights reserved. (view image details)
BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT FACTS
DescriptionBlack-tailed jackrabbits are hares with very long ears and long lanky legs. The fur is dark brown flecked with black, and has a black stripe down the center of the back and a black rump patch. The underside of the body is white, also the inside of the legs is white. The tail is black above and white or gray underneath. Other Names Desert Hare Size Length: 47 - 63 cm. Tail: 5 - 11cm. Ears: 10-13 cm long. Weight: 1.3 - 3.1 kg. Environment desert scrubland, prairies, farmlands, sand dunes. Food Grasses and herbaceous plants. In winter they also eat twigs, bark, sagebrush and cacti. Breeding Females produce 3 or 4 litters annually. One to six leverets (usually 3 or 4) are born after a gestation period of 41-47 days. The leverets are born fully-furred and open-eyed, and are weaned after 14 - 21 days. Range southwestern United States into Mexico from California in the west to Missouri in the east, and north into Washington, Idaho, Colorado and Nebraska. Also Baja California, Mexico. Classification
Relatives in same Genus Snowshoe Hare (L. americanus) Arctic Hare (L. arcticus) Alaskan Hare (L. othus) White-tailed Jackrabbit (L. townsendii) Home | Mammals | Reptiles | Birds | Insects | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Us |