Mexican Cottontail

The Mexican cottontail is one of the largest members of the genus Sylvilagus, weighing from 1,800 to 2,300 grams (63 to 81 oz) on average, and is the largest Mexican rabbit. Its size is comparable with that of medium-sized hares. It has coarse reddish-brown or greyish-brown fur and white underparts. In maturity, the fur becomes a paler yellowish-gray. Adults measure at an average body length of 485–515 mm (19.1–20.3 in), tail length of 54–68 mm (2.1–2.7 in), hind foot length of 108–111 mm (4.3–4.4 in), and ear length of 60–63 mm (2.4–2.5 in). Individuals from populations in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca mountain range tend to be slightly larger than those found elsewhere.

The Mexican cottontail is found only in Mexico, where its range extends from the state of Sinaloa to the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, including the mountainous regions of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. It ranges from sea level up to about 4,300 meters (14,000 feet). It occupies a wide range of habitats including tropical, temperate and dry deciduous forest, dense shrubland, grassland, and cultivated or otherwise disturbed land. In central Mexico, it is common in temperate pine and pine-oak forests with a ground cover of tussocky grasses such as Agrostis, Festuca and Muhlenbergia, while in western Mexico it tends towards drier forest habitats and pastures. Mexican cottontails in southern Sinaloa and western Michoacán can be found from sea level on the coastal plain up to the mountain slopes, where its habitat borders that of the eastern cottontail (S. floridanus). In mountainous areas south of Mexico City, its habitat borders both the eastern cottontail and the volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi).

The Mexicạn cottontail's breeding season occurs throughout the year, but especially during the warm and wet summer months (March to October). Mothers dig a nursery burrow to contain a nest before they give birth. The burrows are short, shallow tunnels averaging 23 cm (9.1 in) long that end in a chamber about 17 cm (6.7 in) below the surface. Nests are constructed of several materials including dry grasses, pine needles, and bits of woody plants. Oat straw and alfalfa hay are used in the nest as additional food sources. Nursing occurs at the burrow entrance until the young are about 12 days old; after the offspring are weaned, the mother closes the burrow entrance. The burrowing behavior of the Mexican cottontail more closely resembles that of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) than other cottontail rabbits. Predators of the Mexican cottontail include red foxes, coyotes, the long-tailed weasel, feral dogs, the great horned owl, red-tailed hawks, and American crocodiles. Additionally, snakes are known to prey upon the species infrequently.