Mammal · GBIF taxon 2436886
Sylvilagus floridanus
sylvilagus floridanusAlso known as Cottontail Rabbit, Florida Cottontail
Eastern cottontails are highly adaptable lagomorphs recognizable by their grizzled brown coats and the fluffy white underside of their tails. They are most active at dawn and dusk, navigating edge habitats and suburban lawns with a series of zig-zagging leaps to evade predators. Females scrape shallow nests in the ground, lining them with grass and belly fur to raise multiple litters of blind, helpless young each year.
CrepuscularAdaptableMammal
1 / 7- diet
- Grasses, clover, broadleaf weeds, twigs, and bark
- family
- Leporidae
- threats
- Habitat loss, domestic pets, vehicle collisions, and rabbit hemorrhagic disease
- life Span
- 1 to 3 years in the wild
LC
Can carry tularemia and ticks; do not handle wild rabbits or their nests.
Can transmit tularemia (rabbit fever) through direct contact or tick bites, causing severe flu-like symptoms.
Never touch wild rabbits, especially those appearing lethargic, and keep domestic pets away from nests.- Keep your distance: Observe from afar to avoid triggering their freeze-or-flight response.
- Check lawns before mowing: Look for shallow, fur-lined nests in the grass during spring and summer.
- Leave babies alone: Mother rabbits only visit the nest twice a day to avoid drawing predators.