Summary ⁷

The marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris) is a small cottontail rabbit found in marshes and swamps of coastal regions of the Eastern and Southern United States. It is a strong swimmer and found only near regions of water. It is similar in appearance to the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) but is characterized by smaller ears, legs, and tail.

Morphology ⁸

Marsh rabbits are medium-sized rabbits with short, rounded ears and small feet. The head and tail is smaller than those of easten cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus). Marsh rabbits are dark brown to reddish brown with a dark belly. The characteristic that distinguishes S. palustris from all other cottontail rabbits is the dark color of the underside of their tail. Other cottontail rabbits have white undersides to their tails. Marsh rabbits have sparse fur and remarkably long toenails on their hindfeet. There is no substantial sexual dimorphism.

Range mass: 1,200 to 2,200 g.

Range length: 425 to 440 mm.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Erin and Lance Willett, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/60477398@N00/492002911
2. (c) Biodiversity Heritage Library, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6105/6216710139_eff4d83f54_o.jpg
3. (c) Tomfriedel, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Marsh_Rabbit.jpg
4. (c) Matt Muir, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qoJCivsIb4A/UQChVEnxhHI/AAAAAAAAWNg/xw5SgyXFjkM/P1190788.JPG
5. (c) John Sullivan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Sullivan
6. (c) Jennifer Rycenga, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jennifer Rycenga
7. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvilagus_palustris
8. (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31425356

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• AMCELA
• Animal Diversity Web
• ASM Mammal Diversity Database
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• VertNet

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

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