The cottontail is a rabbit but is often called a hare. There are seven species, all in North America, ranging from the Canadian border through Mexico. Closely related species are found in South America. Cottontails get their name from the white, fluffy undersides of their tails. The animals are 14 to 21 inches (35 to 53 cm) long. They are brown, gray-brown, or reddish above and light gray or white below.

The eastern cottontail is Sylvilagus floridanus; the mountain, S. nuttallii; the New England, S. transitionalis; the desert, S. audubonii; the Mexican, S. cunicularis; the Tres Marias, S. graysoni; the Omilteme rabbit, S. insonus.

Cottontails and their relatives make up a group of animals called lagomorphs (LAG uh mawrfs). The word lagomorph comes from two Greek words meaning “hare-shaped.” As you might guess, hares are lagomorphs. So are little mouselike animals called pikas.

All lagomorphs have sharp front teeth called incisors. Lagomorphs use their incisors to gnaw (nawh), or chew. Another feature that all lagomorphs share is two separate folds of skin on the upper lip.

Rabbits, hares, and pikas are part of a larger animal group called mammals. Mammals are warm-blooded animals whose babies drink their mother’s milk. Mammals also have hair. Lagomorphs have soft fur for hair.

The cottontail’s front teeth look a lot like those of a rodent. In fact, scientists once placed rabbits, hares, pikas, and rodents in the same order, or group of animals. But a rodent has only one pair of upper incisors. Rabbits, hares, and pikas have two pairs each. So scientists now place rabbits, hares, and pikas in their own order.

A cottontail’s large, sharp teeth help the animal eat its food. The incisors are located at the front of a cottontail’s jaw. They do the biting and cutting. The back teeth, or molars, do the grinding and chewing.

Maybe you’ve seen a cottontail enjoying a meal. You might have noticed that it doesn’t chew up and down as you do. Instead, a cottontail chews its food from side to side. The reason is that a cottontail’s upper jaw is wider than its lower jaw.

Like other rabbits, cottontails are herbivores (HUR buh vawrz). That means they eat only plants. They enjoy short grass, clover, lettuce, weeds, and leafy bushes. They also like fruits and berries. And, of course, cottontails love carrots—if they can find them.

In winter, it is often hard for cottontails to find food. They will eat twigs, bark, roots, and old berries when they can’t find leafy greens.

Cottontails sometimes drink water—but not that often. That’s because the plants they eat are very moist and juicy.

The tail is covered with soft, fluffy fur. The tail is about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. The bottom of the tail is white. It looks a lot like cotton.

A cottontail is not white all over, however. Most of its body fur is brown or gray. The dark color blends in with the rabbit’s surroundings. If it senses danger, a cottontail may lie very still. That way its enemies won’t see it.

Cottontails are very clean animals. They keep their fur in good shape by licking it. They also wet their paws and use them like washcloths to wash their fur.

Cottontails take time to clean themselves, but they never need haircuts. Like all lagomorphs, cottontails shed their fur every year. Their summer coats are shorter, softer, and thinner than their winter coats.

Cottontails have many enemies in the wild. Their enemies include foxes, wolves, weasels, coyotes, rats, and snakes. Foxes may steal baby cottontails from their nests. Weasels may chase cottontails down their burrows, even through narrow tunnels.

Ground enemies are not the only ones cottontails fear. They also have enemies in the air. Eagles, hawks, and owls swoop down on them from the sky. Cottontails are usually helpless against such attacks.

Because they have so many enemies, most cottontails do not survive more than a year in the wild. Pet rabbits, however, may live five years or more.

A cottontail uses all its senses to avoid danger. Its eyes are on the sides of its head, so it can see to the side, front, and even to the back—all at the same time. It can also see well at night.

A cottontail relies on its nose and ears, too. When it smells or hears danger, the rabbit sits up on its hind legs, straight and still. Its ears point upward and its nose twitches. This position might warn other rabbits in the area to be alert.

If the cottontail decides to hop away, it flashes its white tail at the enemy. This may confuse the predator and help the cottontail escape.

For safety, a cottontail stays near cover, such as a rock or a bush. If an enemy gets too close, a cottontail hops quickly to its hiding place.

Don’t let a cottontail’s small size fool you. This rabbit can leap 10 feet (3 meters) in a single bound. Imagine you and a friend were lying head to toe on the ground. A cottontail could leap over the length of both your bodies in one long jump.

A cottontail leaps well because of its powerful hind legs. They put “spring” in the rabbit’s jump. The back legs are longer and stronger than the front legs. This helps the animal jump fast, too. A cottontail can leap up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) an hour.

A cottontail’s feet also help it leap well. The bottoms of the feet are covered with hairs. They help the rabbit get a good grip on the ground before taking off.

Most cottontails live alone. They rest and sleep in a shallow, bowl-shaped hole called a form. It is covered with grass, weeds, and shrubs to hide the animals from enemies. Some kinds of cottontails use a form all year around.

Others, especially those in colder areas, look for more protected places to rest.

In winter, many cottontails take cover under piles of brush, rocks, or wood. Others spend time in underground holes called burrows.

Most cottontails do not dig their own burrows. Instead, they move into burrows left behind by other animals, such as prairie dogs, skunks, and woodchucks. How convenient is that?

You may have heard the phrase “to multiply like rabbits.” Cottontails can have lots of babies, or kits. A female cottontail usually has four or five kits at a time. She may give birth four or five times a year. Do the math, and you’ll find that a cottontail may have as many as 25 kits a year.

A female cottontail carries her kits inside her body for about 28 days before giving birth. The mother prepares a nest that she digs in the ground. She lines the nest with hay and leaves, plus fur that she pulls off her belly.

Cottontail kits are born without fur. At birth, the kits can’t see or hear. The mother covers them with grass and fur to keep them warm in the nest. At first, the kits are too young to eat regular food. But kits drink their mother’s milk.

Baby cottontails grow quickly. After about two weeks, they double their weight. They also have their own fur, and they can see and hear. At this time, kits leave their nests and hide in the tall grass nearby. By their third week, they are able to eat regular food.

At about 6 months old, a cottontail has nearly reached its full adult size. By that age, a female cottontail is ready to have her own kits.

Cottontails increase so fast that they can cause serious problems for farmers. In areas where rabbits have no natural enemies, the cottontail population may grow very fast. Cottontails can do great harm to crops and other plant life.

There are 14 kinds of cottontails. All of them live in North America and South America. The desert cottontail you lives west of the Rocky Mountains. So, too, does the mountain cottontail.

The eastern cottontail is common east of the Rocky Mountains, from Canada to Central America. Unlike most cottontails, eastern cottontails live in many habitats. They like fields, forests, and swamps.

The Appalachian (ap uh LAY chuhn) cottontail lives in the hills of the southeastern United States. And the forest cottontail makes its home in the forests of Central and South America. Both these kinds of rabbits are much pickier about their homes than eastern cottontails are.

Some rare cottontails live in very special habitats. Several kinds of cottontails are found in Mexico and Central America. They are so rare that they are hardly ever seen.

Cottontails look similar to one another, but they aren’t all the same size. The largest is the swamp rabbit, which is found in the southern United States. It grows to about 21 inches (53 centimeters) long. It can weigh up to 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms).

The swamp rabbit shares some of its habitat with a similar cottontail, the marsh rabbit. These cottontails look alike. Sometimes, they even act alike. Both will leap into the water and swim away from enemies. So, how can you tell them apart? It’s simple. The swamp rabbit is much bigger!

The swamp rabbit may be the largest cottontail. But it is not the largest lagomorph. The swamp rabbit is about 6 inches (15 centimeters) shorter than the biggest hare. It is also smaller than many rabbits raised as pets.