Bonus Jackrabbit!

While we were letting down fences in the Bodie Hills today, we came across a new species for me, the white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii townsendii). Considered a pest by many farmers in the Midwest, they have a limited distribution in California, associated with sagebrush habitats and considered a State Species of Special Concern. Like snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), their fur is brown in the summer and white in the winter. It looks like we caught this one somewhere in the middle.

Despite the name, the white-tailed jackrabbit is a true hare. Remember the differences? Hares are generally larger and faster than rabbits, with larger ears and feet. Their young are born precocial, with fur and able to see. In contrast, the young of rabbits are born altricial, blind and hairless. But both are lagomorphs, not rodents.

Always exciting to find a species I haven't seen before!