|
Wildlife Black-tailed Jackrabbit Page
|
Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus californicus
Habitat: The black-tailed jackrabbit is a common resident of grasslands and semidesert shrublands of the western United States.
Diet: The diet consists of a variety of grasses, sedges, forbs, and shrubs. For example, they eat western wheatgrass, alfalfa, burning-bush (summer-cypress), winter wheat, crested wheatgrass, rabbitbrush, and sedge (Flinders and Hansen 1972).
Description: The black-tailed jackrabbit is medium sized to large with a grayish black dorsum and white venter. A black dorsal stripe extends from the tail onto the rump. The ears are dark on the outer tips. The young have a pronounced white spot on the forehead. Winter pelage is paler than summer pelage but never approaches white. Measurements are: total length 470-630 mm; length of tail 50-112 mm; length of hindfoot 110-145 mm; length of ear 100-130 mm; weight 1.3-3.2 kg.
Range in Colorado: Black-tailed jackrabbits are restricted to areas below 2,150 m (7,000 ft) in Colorado, where they are associated with semidesert shrublands and grasslands. They are often found on the margins of cultivated lands. However, range extensions have occurred in the eastern portion of the state (Flinders and Hansen 1972).
Status: CDOW Small Game Mammal
|
|
Species Occurrence Tool
(*) NDIS has no county occurrence data for fish at this time.
|
