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The New England cottontail is a medium-sized rabbit almost identical to the eastern cottontail. [8] [9] The two species look nearly identical, and can only be reliably distinguished by genetic testing of tissue, through fecal samples (i.e., of rabbit pellets), or by an examination of the rabbits' skulls, which shows a key morphological distinction: the frontonasal skull sutures of eastern ...
By the 1930s, New England cottontails were still considered more numerous than the eastern cottontail, but both species were declining as farms reverted to forests; [11] found in shrubby and open areas, often in disturbed areas. Hammonasset Beach State Park has many of them; in the early evening, 30 to 40 can be found along the entrance road. [3]
They are widespread worldwide, and can be found in most terrestrial biomes, though primarily in forests, savannas, shrublands, and grasslands. Leporids are all roughly the same shape and fall within a small range of sizes with short tails, ranging from the 21 cm (8 in) long Tres Marias cottontail to the 76 cm (30 in) long desert hare.
The cottontail will turn the food with its nose to find the cleanest part of the vegetation (free of sand and inedible parts) to begin its meal. The only time a cottontail uses its front paws while feeding is when vegetation is above its head on a living plant, at which point the cottontail will lift its paw to bend the branch to bring the food ...
S. graysoni (Tres Marias cottontail) S. insonus (Omilteme cottontail) S. nuttallii (Mountain cottontail) S. obscurus (Appalachian cottontail) S. palustris (Marsh rabbit) S. robustus (Davis Mountains cottontail) S. sanctaemartae (Santa Marta tapeti) S. tapetillus (Coastal tapeti) S. transitionalis (New England cottontail)
New England cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis. Distribution: southeast Maine, southwest and Cape Cod Massachusetts, central New Hampshire, western and eastern Connecticut, and Rhode Island. European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (introduced, feral) Distribution: Boston Harbor Islands, Massachusetts.
In New England, eastern cottontail home ranges average 1.4 acres (0.57 hectares) for adult males and 1.2 acres (0.49 hectares) for adult females but vary in size from 0.5 to 40 acres (0.20 to 16.19 hectares), depending on season, habitat quality, and individual. The largest ranges are occupied by adult males during the breeding season.
The Appalachian cottontail and S. transitionalis, the New England cottontail, are not easily distinguished in the field, and are most easily identified geographically. Cottontails found south or west of the Hudson River are considered Appalachian cottontails; those found north and east are considered New England cottontails.