Species MammalsMountain Cottontail

Mountain Cottontail

Sylvilagus nuttallii

CommonMammal
Illustration of Mountain Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii)

The Mountain Cottontail is a compact, grayish rabbit of sagebrush flats and mountain foothills in western North America. It frequently shelters in rock crevices and often uses the burrows of badgers and other animals for escape cover. Its populations fluctuate with sagebrush availability, making it an indicator of healthy shrub-steppe ecosystems.

Habitat
Sagebrush steppe, mountain foothills, and rocky shrublands
Diet
Sagebrush, grasses, and forbs
How common
Common

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