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Hunting Mountain Cottontail Page
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Mountain Cottontail
Sylvilagus nuttallii
Habitat: They are found in montane shrublands and semidesert shrublands and on the edges of piņon-juniper woodlands and montane and subalpine forests. They also inhabit open parklands with sufficient shrub, rock, or tree cover.
Diet: During warmer months, grasses and forbs are the mainstay of the diet. In southern Idaho several grasses, globemallow, vetches, sage, winterfat, and prickly-pear were favored (M. K. Johnson and Hansen 1979). Sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and junipers are important in winter.
Description: The mountain cottontail (also called Nuttall's cottontail) is similar in general appearance to both desert and eastern cottontails. It differs from the former in being darker, with more blackish hairs dorsally, and by having smaller ears and hindlegs. The auditory bullae are much smaller than in the desert cottontail. It is distinguished from the eastern cottontail by having a paler dorsal color, a duller brownish throat patch, and more densely furred ears. Measurements are: total length 340-415 mm; length of tail 30-55 mm; length of hindfoot 90-110 mm; length of ear 56-65 mm; weight 900-1,100 g.
Range in Colorado: Mountain cottontails inhabit the mountainous western three-fifths of the state between 1,830 and 3,500 m (6,000-11,500 ft).
Status: CDOW Small Game Mammal
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