Mammals of Fort Bowie NHS

Antelope Jackrabbits are nocturnal and crepuscular, and almost never vocalize. They are probably the fastest runners of their genus, with a top speed of 72 km per hour. They flash their white rumps somewhat as pronghorns do when they are running. Their ears are white on the outside, and longer than average. Typical of hares, and in contrast to rabbits, Antelope Jackrabbits give birth to well-developed young who are fully furred, with their eyes open, and able to hop.

Adaptation: As seen from the front and side, the spool-like shape of the main gliding surface of the elbow of the Antelope Jackrabbit, Lepus alleni, controls the movement of the forearm so that it can easily flex and extend but not twist. This is an adaptation to cursorial locomotion similar to what is found among other, very distantly related, running mammals.

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Black-tailed Jackrabbits are tremendous leapers, able to jump more than 6 m horizontally. They live in some of the hottest and driest regions of the continent, can survive on poor-quality foods, and get most or all of the water they need from their food. Where they can, they eat green vegetation, but they can survive in parts of the Southwest where creosote-bush forms a large part of their diet. They cope with extreme heat by lowering their metabolism and resting in the shade during the day, which conserves water. They get rid of extra salt through their urine, and blood flows close to the skin in their enormous ears, a cooling mechanism. Although mostly nocturnal and solitary, large groups sometimes form near a good food supply. With their typically high reproductive output, Black-tails can be agricultural pests, and there were periods in the 1800s and 1900s when aggressive rabbit drives herded and destroyed 5,000-6,000 animal in a single day. In spite of this, they are quite common and widespread.

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"Living well below sea level in Death Valley and also in woodland and grassland up to 2,000 m elevation, Desert Cottontails are able to tolerate diverse habitats. They are most active at dawn and dusk, and spend hot days resting in a burrow or in a ""hide,"" which is a shallow depression in the ground or in vegetation. Like all rabbits, they are vegetarians, feeding on grasses, shrubs, and forbs. They also eat acorns. When they can, they forage under shrubs, and when they venture out from under shelter, they move cautiously, and freeze when alarmed. They breed year-round, and mature quickly: breeding is seen in individuals as young as three months of age."

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