Montana Field Guide

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Montana Field Guides

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- Kingdom - Animals - Animalia
  - Phylum - Vertebrates - Craniata
    - Class - Mammals - Mammalia
      - Order - Rabbits / Hares - Lagomorpha
        
        Family - Rabbits - Leporidae
        
        Species - Desert Cottontail - Sylvilagus audubonii

Desert Cottontail - Sylvilagus audubonii

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: S4

Agency Status
USFWS: none
USFS: none
BLM: none
CFWCS Tier: 3

General Description

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General Distribution

Montana Range

Western Hemisphere Range

Summary of Observations Submitted for Montana

Number of Observations: 151

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Relative Density

Recency

(Records associated with a range of dates are excluded from time charts)

Migration

Non-migratory.

Habitat

Arid grasslands and sagebrush areas. In badlands and sagebrush coulees. Nests are pear-shaped excavations in the ground, cavity lined with vegetation and fur.

Ecology

In Central and Eastern MT sympatric with MT Cottontail which uses riparian. In SW MT, S. audubonii is not present and S. idahoensis and S. nuttallii are sympatric on its typical habitat.

Reproductive Characteristics

Circi-annual breeding in warmer climates, probably breeds Apr-Jul in Montana. Ave. 2.6-3.6 young/litter. 5 litters/ year in AZ, probably less in MT. Sexual maturity as early as day 80. (A78CHA01).

Citations & Sources

Foresman, K.R. 2001. The wild mammals of Montana. Special Publication No. 12. American Society of Mammalogists

Additional Sources of Information Related to "Mammals"

Citation for data on this website:
Desert Cottontail — Sylvilagus audubonii. Montana Field Guide. Retrieved on February 9, 2010, from http://FieldGuide.mt.gov/detail_AMAEB01070.aspx