![]() This often does not sit well with gardeners and property owners. During winter they nibble on small trees and shrubs. During summer they often eat fresh garden plants and flowers. Snowshoe Hare populations experience dramatic fluctuations every eight to 11 years and as a result, so do Canada Lynx.Ĭonflicts with rabbits and hares are closely tied to their nutritional needs. Rabbits and hares also use their cryptic coloration to hide from predators.ĭid you know? Snowshoe Hare and Canada Lynx populations closely linked. When pursued by a predator, Cottontails run and jump in a zigzag pattern to break up their scent. Snowshoe Hares are fast runners and have the ability to break into a full run from a sitting position, attaining bursts of speeds of 25 to 35 miles per hour. Because of this they have developed tactics to avoid being captured by predators. Both species also give off a high pitched scream when captured or injured.Īll lagomorph species are important prey for carnivores including lynx, bobcats, hawks, owls, foxes and coyotes. Adults thump the ground with their hind feet as an alarm signal. Snowshoe Hare males aggressively fight for females, where Cottontail adults form hierarchies and show their dominance by chasing out subordinate males.īoth of these species use visual, chemical, tactile, vocal and mechanical cues to communicate. Snowshoe Hares and Eastern Cottontails are mostly active at dusk and dawn and at night, passing the day under thick brush, branches of trees or in a burrow. ![]() Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) are the smallest rabbit species in North America and are listed as endangered in Washington and the Black-tailed (Lepus californicus) and White-tailed Jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) are also in decline, making them candidate species for state listing and protection.ĭid you know? There are currently 87 different recognized species of lagomorph worldwide, almost 30 percent of which are endangered. ![]() They have adapted to living in urban areas and are the brown rabbits you commonly see in city parks and in your backyard. Eastern Cottontails were introduced into Washington as game animals beginning in the 1930s. Snowshoe Hares spend their time mostly up in the Cascades and you may see them on an early morning summer hike. Washington State is home to eight of these species-six native species: Nuttall’s Cottontail, Pygmy Rabbit, Pika, Snowshoe Hare, Black-tailed Jackrabbit and White-tailed Jackrabbit and two non-native or introduced species: Eastern Cottontail and Domestic Rabbit.Īlthough most of the lagomorph species in Washington are found in the Cascades and to the east, the most common seen in western Washington are Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus) and Eastern Cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus). All rights reserved.More than 15 species of rabbits, pikas and hares, collectively referred to as lagomorphs, are widely distributed across North America. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. ![]() The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Pikas are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Lagomorpha, family Ochotonidae. Because food is difficult to obtain in winter in the harsh tundra environment, pikas cut, sun-dry, and store vegetation for winter use. Their diet consists primarily of green plants. Pikas generally shelter in communities beneath rocks, although some Asian species burrow. Its fur varies from red to gray and covers the soles of its feet. The pika differs from the rabbit in that its body is smaller and the ears on its blunt head are shorter also unlike the rabbit, the fore and hind limbs are about equal in length. Pikas live above the timber line in the mountains of N Asia and W North America. ![]() Pika pī´kə, short-haired mammal related to rabbits and hares, also called mouse hare and rock rabbit. ![]()
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