Hobbies And Interests
Eastern Cottontail
The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is the most common variety in Pennsylvania because of the state's abundant herbaceous plants, farmlands and dense underbrush allowing the rabbits to build their nests or "forms." By digging a form, cottontails create shelter for themselves and their young. With an average lifespan of 3 years, cottontails rear up to six litters per year, averaging five per litter. Females nurse their babies or kits during the night to avoid predators. Cottontails are gray to brownish gray with large ears and a short, white tail, similar to a cotton ball on the underside. Abundant corn, clover, dandelion and ragweed provide food for these year-round active rabbits.
Appalachian Cottontail
A subspecies of the genus cottontail, the Appalachian cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) is the rarest rabbit in Pennsylvania, found in only patchy land throughout a mountainous home range. The declining quality of its environment is one of the reasons for conservation and habitat management now proposed to save this species, whose status is listed as near threatened. This rabbit feeds on herbaceous plants as well as pine needles and woody plants indigenous to higher elevations. Producing only three to four litters per year, this grey-to-reddish brown rabbit has a distinct black spot on its forehead to match its black-edged ears. Natural enemies include those for all rabbits, such as bobcats and coyotes as well as fierce weather conditions and reduction in habitat.
New England Cottontail
New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is also a candidate for the federal endangered species list. The species prefers dense forest, mostly found in the mountains of northern, central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Its mating and behavioral habits are similar to the eastern cottontail, except for feeding and nesting. The New England cottontail consumes mainly grasses and legumes. Winter months are spent feeding on bark and twigs of maple and oak trees as well as herbs and shrubs.
Snowshoe Hare
Lepus americanus or the snowshoe hare is the only hare that inhabits Pennsylvania. It is aptly named for its large hind feet. Dense, stiff hairs, webbed toes and rough pads on these feet allows it to run in powdery, deep snow at speeds approaching 30 mph. Also known as the varying hare, the snowshoe changes back from its pure winter white to a black, rusty-brown or gray in summer. The hare lives in the high ridges with dense mountain laurel and rhododendron, as well as the swampy bogs in the Pocono Mountains and thicketed slopes of the Allegheny Mountains. Hares, unlike rabbits, have longer gestation periods. The young are born with hair, open eyes and are ready to run from predators. The females don't make nests, but construct shallow depressions in more open habitats. The decrease in hares isn't due to the week-long winter hunting season but by deforestation and a growing white-tailed deer population that competes for habitat and food.