Rabbit+(modern)+-+Timmy

<--- Pygmy rabbit (extinct animal) Grey haired cottontail rabbit (future animal) ---> =Eastern cottontail rabbit =

The eastern cottontail is one of the most common species of rabbit in America. It has a brownish-gray haired body with long ears, and also a small white ball of tail that is the symbol of a cotton ball, and 2 whitish feet excluding from the hands.

Each eastern cottontail rabbit weights around 2 to 4 lbs with a body length of 14 to 16 inches. Despite their short life expectancy of 1 year, young rabbits leave their parents at the age of 3 weeks. Their peek breeding period is within May and June where the normal breeding period is within February to September, to release the species from extinction each year.

They have a wide choice of food, for example the Clover, dandelion, plantain, ragweed, and a lot more. In the winter, they become vegetarian and eat other series of food. For example the corn, bark of tree saplings, raspberry, blackberry, and a lot more.


 * **Scientific Classification ** ||
 * Kingdom || Animalia ||
 * Phylum || Chordate ||
 * Class || Mammalia ||
 * Order || Lagomorpha ||
 * Family || Leporidae ||
 * Genus || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Sylvilagus ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Species || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">S.floridanus ||


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Habitat **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Distribution __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The eastern cottontail rabbit is mostly originated in the United States, southern Canada, eastern Mexico, Central America and northern South America. It has been introduced to Italy in around the Mid 1960s. This made Italy a species expansion and its population of the Eastern cottontail raised by a lot. It was known that the Eastern cottontail has expanded its population faster than the New England Cottontail, which was first introduced as a species in England in 1895, which spread around England for 20 to 25 years until it expanded around the world.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Habitat __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The optimal eastern cottontail rabbit likes to settle in open grassy areas, clearings and even old fields that are supported by grass and also herbs, along with a little amount of cover in the corner and also with shrubs around the basin. The eastern cottontail rabbit choose to settle in these environments, because they are bound for escape whenever they want with an excellent cover for them.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Typical eastern cottontails settle in farms, fields, pastures, open woods, thickets accompanied by fence rows, forest edges and also areas which are rich in food and cover. In rare cases, they will be found in swamps and also marshes, which means away from the woods that their friends live in.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Behavior __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Eastern cottontail has a very unique behavior compare to other animals. When they are chased by predators, for example domestic dogs, foxes, bobcat, hawks, etc. They run up to 18 miles per hour in a zigzag pattern confusing the predator. They like the areas which they can hide very quickly, but in an open space such as green lands, bushes and or even forests.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Cottontails do not dig or go into any burrows. They prefer staying in a shallow or even a scratched out area inside grass and bushes. Despite the fact that they do not dig burrows, they use small bits and pieces of woodchucks to cover them up during a heavy snow or storm throughout the night and day. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Reproduction __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Eastern cottontail’s reproduction takes place from February to September in New York and March to September in England, due to the seasonal change of climate. In a reproduction, this is the only time that they dig a hole in soft soil and covers it in any vegetation and with fur. The hole they dug has a length of 7 inches, a width of 5 inches and a depth of approximately 4.7 inches.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">When a cottontail is born, they have a very thin coat of hair and they are blind. After around 4 to 7 days, their eyes starts to open and by 12 to 16 days, they start to move out from the nest. They will be completely weaned after 4 to 5 weeks. Their maturity begins from around 2 to 3 months after they are born. According to that, males will start to mate with more than just one female. The female will litter around 1 to 7 of 1 to 12 young rabbits, which are called kits. However, they will only have approximately 3 to 4 litters and an amount of 5 kits.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Adaptation **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Teeth __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Eastern cottontail rabbit eats a lot of food throughout the year. It eats grass, and sometimes it hunts down or even finds some animals to eat. During the winters, the eastern cottontail survives by eating really tough foods. For example bark, twigs, and a lot more to survive in the cold winter. Despite the fact that they eat a lot of food, their front teeth are sharp and it grows continuously. This adaptation of the eastern cottontail rabbit lets it eat a lot of different food without damaging their teeth. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Eyes and Ears __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Even though the eastern cottontail rabbit is small, it has brilliant eyesight. Their eyes are generally larger than any other rabbits in the world. Their hearing is also very sensitive. Its ears can move around easily, therefore letting it hear in all different directions. Combining these two functions, the rabbit can have an earlier detection than the others, therefore giving them a higher probability of survival.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Legs __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">All rabbits have very strong back legs including the eastern cottontail rabbit. It helps them to run as fast as possible away from danger or their predator. It can also use their back legs to fight if necessary. It has been proven that the rabbit uses their strong back legs to kick and also scratch the predator off, especially to dogs.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">__ Coloring __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The eastern cottontail has a coat of brownish grey hair. They also have a ball of white tail and a white underbelly. These coloring help them to blend into their nest and also to hide from predators. Also, the color on their skin represents which kind of rabbit it is and in which state. For example this eastern cottontail rabbit is in U.S and the white cottontail rabbit lives in England. __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Sense of Smell __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The eastern cottontail rabbit has a very sensitive nose. It is been adapted to the environment to smell different kinds of plants and herbs for them to eat. Even though the nose is small, it can smell a very sharp smell from a mile or so away.

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Bibliography = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Griffin, M. B. (n.d.). //Cottontail in Massacusetts//. Retrieved 6 22, 2011, from Mass Wildlifes: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/living/living_with_cottontails.htm <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">resources, D. o. (n.d.). //Eastern cottontail rabbit//. Retrieved 6 22, 2011, from Ohio: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/easterncottontailrabbit/tabid/6606/Default.aspx <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Robson, H. (n.d.). //Structural Adaptations of Cottontail Rabbits//. Retrieved 6 22, 2011, from ehow: http://www.ehow.com/list_6754849_structural-adaptations-cottontail-rabbits.html <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">society, O. h. (n.d.). //Eastern cottontail rabbit//. Retrieved 6 22, 2011, from Ohio history central: http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1130 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//What are a Eastern Cottontail rabbit's adaptation//. (n.d.). Retrieved 6 22, 2011, from WikiAnswers: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_a_Eastern_Cottontail_Rabbit_adaptation <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Wikipedia. (n.d.). //Eastern Cottontail//. Retrieved 6 22, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_cottontail