ps 09/01/12 - Thanks to another blog for alerting me to Don Roberson's rabbit page. I'm still a little confused as to how to distinguish between cottontail and brush, but I'm fairly sure of this ID.
Showing posts with label rabbits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rabbits. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
desert cottontail ~ 02/04/11 ~ Hatton Canyon
It's the year of the rabbit. Oy! I've had such a difficult time figuring out whether this is a desert cottontail or a brush rabbit. Along with the black-tailed jack rabbit, all three rabbit species are found in this area. Again, it's my belief that many online sites have their IDs incorrectly labeled, including popular photo sites... and, admittedly, my own Nature ID blog. I'm making this ID as a desert cottontail based on its behavior and the tuft of white showing in the pic above. If I can recall correctly, brush rabbits don't seem to flash any white cottony tail before disappearing at places like Elkhorn Slough and Montaña De Oro State Park, where I've seen them in large numbers and browsing in the middle of trails. This one definitely had the white rear flag as it scampered away. In a funny way, it reminded me of white-tailed deer from Ohio. I'm wondering why animals flash something bright as they're fleeing a potential predator. Does anyone know about rabbits?
ps 09/01/12 - Thanks to another blog for alerting me to Don Roberson's rabbit page. I'm still a little confused as to how to distinguish between cottontail and brush, but I'm fairly sure of this ID.
ps 09/01/12 - Thanks to another blog for alerting me to Don Roberson's rabbit page. I'm still a little confused as to how to distinguish between cottontail and brush, but I'm fairly sure of this ID.
Friday, March 6, 2009
brush rabbit ~ 03/06/09 ~ Montaña De Oro
Sylvilagus bachmani
Leporidae
I know very little about rabbits even though I see them quite frequently on trails (and had a few as childhood pets). I'm trusting the linked website for ID.
ps 09/04/11 - For a nice blog post on brush rabbits that I just found, check out Curbstone Valley Farm.
ps 09/04/11 - For a nice blog post on brush rabbits that I just found, check out Curbstone Valley Farm.