White-tailed Jackrabbit

The White-tailed Jackrabbit is nocturnal and lies up during the day in a form, a shallow depression in the ground hidden under vegetation, emerging at dusk to feed. It has good eyesight and excellent hearing. They are important prey species for the American badger, coyote, bobcat, ferruginous hawk, great horned owl, and golden eagle on Seedskadee NWR. They attempt to evade detection by crouching in the vegetation where their cryptic colouration makes them difficult to observe. They may slink away but if detected, they bound away at speed, adopting a zigzag course. They can run at up to 34 miles per hour and leap up to 16 ft. Their populations are cyclic, being abundant some years and scarce in others.