Lepus californicus
The Black-tailed Jackrabbit's dorsal fur is agouti (dark buff peppered with black), and its undersides and the insides of its legs are creamy white. The ears are black-tipped on the outer surface, and unpigmented inside. The ventral surface of the tail is grey to white, and the black dorsal surface of the tail continues up the spine for a few inches to form a short, black stripe. The Black-tailed Jackrabbit is a natural denizen of desert, prairie and chaparral communities, though it also commonly feeds in cultivated pastures and lawns. It may be seen during the day, though it is predominantly crepuscular and nocturnal in its habits. Diet includes cactus, sagebrush, mesquite, juniper berries, grasses, and crop plants such as clover and alfalfa. The hares drink very little, deriving most of their water from their food. Like most hares, Black-tailed Jackrabbits do not use burrows, but rest during the day in a shallow scrape, called a "form," dug into the soil and usually under the cover of available vegetation. Black-tailed Jackrabbits rely on their acute hearing and speed and to evade predators. They can reach speeds of up to 40–45 miles per hour (64–72 km/h), and can leap 19 feet (5.8 m) in a single bound. Their natural predators include Red-tailed Hawks, Ferruginous Hawks, and eagles, as well as mammalian carnivores such as coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. Although they are generally solitary animals, Blacktails often forage and rest in groups, each individual relying on the eyes and ears of the others to detect predators. Like some other lagomorphs, such as the European Rabbit, jackrabbits will thump the ground with their hind legs as an alarm signal as they sprint away from perceived danger. Breeding can occur year-round in the southern regions of the species' range. In the wild, females (does) rarely breed before the age of one year, although they are fertile before that age. A healthy doe may produce four to five litters per year, with one to eight young per litter. Wild leverets usually weigh between 80–100 grams (2.8–3.5 oz) at birth, although healthy, well-fed captive individuals are known to have given birth to young as large as 155 grams (5.5 oz). A doe usually gives birth to her offspring in a form or close to thick brush, and if there are multiple leverets in a litter, she will usually not leave them in a single location. This may be an evolutionary adaptation that prevents a predator from devouring an entire litter. Gestation lasts 45 days, and although the young are precocial, (i.e., active and relatively independent from birth), the mother hare will nurse her babies for a full 12 weeks before weaning them. For attributions please see the wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_Jackrabbit
Photo courtesy Sigrid Wright
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