Mammal · GBIF taxon 2436905
New England Cottontail
Sylvilagus transitionalisAlso known as Gray Rabbit, Brush Rabbit, Wood Hare, Cooney
New England cottontails rely on dense, impenetrable shrublands and young, regenerating forests to hide from predators. Their dark grayish-brown fur provides camouflage among briars, and unlike their more flexible eastern cousins, they rarely venture far from thick cover. Declining young forest habitats across the northeastern states have isolated remaining populations into small, vulnerable pockets.
MammalNativeElusive
—observations
—countries
—peak records
VulnerableConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXVulnerableRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Grasses
- Shrub Twigs
- Woody Bark
Predators
- Coyotes
- Red Foxes
- Great Horned Owls
ThreatsHabitat fragmentation, forest maturation, and competition from introduced Eastern Cottontails
HabitatsEarly successional thickets, shrublands, and young regenerating forests
Life span3 to 5 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyLeporidae
- SpeciesSylvilagus transitionalis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Timid and non-aggressive; observe quietly from a distance and avoid handling wild rabbits.
- What to notice
- Recognized by compact gray-brown fur, short ears, and a subtle black patch between the ears within dense thickets.
- Support conservation
- Keep dogs leashed in early-successional habitats and avoid entering dense thickets where hidden nest burrows reside.
Responsible observation
- Habitat Searching: Look in dense blackberry briars, mountain laurel thickets, or regenerating forest patches.
- Quiet Observation: Stay quiet along brushy edges during dawn and dusk when individuals emerge to forage.
- Visual Clues: Note the compact body and dark hair patch between the ears, though genetic testing is often needed for precise identification.
Competitor (c) Andrew Murray, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Andrew Murray · cc-by
Co-occurring Lagomorph Lepus_americanus_5459.JPG: Walter Siegmund (talk) derivative work: Wsiegmund / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Predator Yathin S Krishnappa / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Predator "Great Horned Owl, the first I've seen in decent light this year. Didn't want to disturb it for too long so we continued along the trail" by island deborah- is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/. · cc-by-sa
Close Relative
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