How to Identify Leporidae

Key Identification Features

• Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus Gray, 1837), a hare species, shares the distinctive long ears and long powerful rear legs typical of other jackrabbits and hares.
• The eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus, can be recognized by a distinctive white spot on its forehead, with fur ranging from reddish-brown to grayish-brown.
• Key habitat features are dense, well-distributed escape cover mixed with open foraging areas such as pastures or grasslands.
• It is often visually very similar to the eastern cottontail; distinguishing features include a black spot between its ears and the absence of a white spot on the forehead.

For instant identification in the field, use the iNature app — AI-powered, works offline.