Eastern cottontail: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the eastern cottontail lives – recorded in 4 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Sylvilagus floridanus
Group	Rabbits, hares & pikas
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	4 countries
Continents	North America, South America
Mass	40 g (birth weight); 1.13 kg (male organism, adult weight); 1.24 kg (female organism, adult weight)
Class	Mammal
Order	Lagomorpha
Family	Leporidae

Where does the eastern cottontail live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the eastern cottontail in 4 countries and territories across North America and South America.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is an eastern cottontail?

Wikidata records the following for the eastern cottontail: mass 40 g (birth weight); 1.13 kg (male organism, adult weight); 1.24 kg (female organism, adult weight).

Is the eastern cottontail endangered?

The eastern cottontail’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the eastern cottontail?

The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a mammal in the order Lagomorpha and the family Leporidae, genus Sylvilagus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the eastern cottontail

The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a species of rabbit in the family Leporidae. It is the most widespread and abundant rabbit species in North America, inhabiting a wide range that extends from southern Canada throughout most of the United States and into parts of Mexico, Central America, and the northern regions of South America. Known for its distinctive fluffy white tail, which resembles a cotton ball and gives the species its common name, the eastern cottontail typically inhabits open fields, meadows, and brushy areas where it can easily find cover and food. It is a primarily herbivorous, crepuscular mammal that feeds on grasses, herbs, twigs, and bark, and plays an important role in the ecosystem as prey for a variety of predators including foxes, hawks, and owls. Due to its adaptability to human-altered landscapes such as suburban and agricultural areas, the eastern cottontail has maintained stable population levels and is not considered threatened. It is also well known for its high reproductive rate, with females capable of producing multiple large litters annually, which contributes to its widespread presence.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eastern cottontail (revision 1371889828), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q774716 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).