• Adult total length: 14 - 18 in. (350 - 450 mm)

• Tail: 1 5/8 - 2 1/8 in. (40 - 52 mm)

• Hind foot: 86 mm

• Weight: 2 - 3 1/4 lbs (.9 - 1.5 kg)

• Physical Characteristics: The Appalachian cottontail closely resembles the eastern cottontail. It differs only in its slightly smaller size, shorter ears, and greater amount of black on the back. A narrow black patch is present on top of the head between the ears. The rufous or rusty nape patch characteristic of the eastern cottontail is lacking. Due to the similarity of these two forms, most park records refer simply to "cottontail" This species was formerly known as the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis). It was reclassified by Chapman et al. (1992).

left lateral view of skull and mandible	dorsal view of skull	ventral view of skull

The Appalachian cottontail occurs only within the Appalachian Mountain chain, its marginal plateau and mountain balds from the Husdon River southwest through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama (Chapman et al.,1992).

• Range Maps

  North America	Great Smokies

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Kellogg (1939) recorded the first specimen from the park near Low Gap. Only two other verified individuals, one from Pine Knot Branch in 1957 and one from the Alum Cave parking area in 1960, have ever been recorded ( Linzey, 1995b).
  • Cocke Co.: Near Low Gap (3,300 feet).

  • Sevier Co.: Pine Knot Branch near Elkmont (2,100 feet); Alum Cave parking area (3,800 feet).

Index

Natural History

• Reproduction
  The breeding season of the Appalachian cottontail lasts from early March to early September. Like all cottontails it is a synchronous breeder. Gestation lasts about 28 days. Litter size is between four and eight with females producing an average of about 24 young annually. The young are weaned at three to four weeks of age.

• Longevity
  Most cottontails die before they are a year old, but there are reports of wild individuals surviving for several years.

• Terrestrial Ecology
  Appalachian cottontails are secretive, forest-dwelling rabbits that are never abundant over most of their range.

  The Appalachian cottontail eats a variety of grasses, ferns, forbs, and shrubs. It appears to be the only cottontail that feeds extensively on conifer needles. Rabbit cuttings are easily identified because they are made at a sharp 45 degree angle from the vertical axis, which looks like they had been cut with pruning shears. Deer cuttings are pulled off, leaving a ragged edge.

  Rabbits and hares expel two types of fecal pellets - greenish and brown. The greenish pellets contain partially digested vegetation and are commonly reingested, a process known as coprophagy. Greenish pellets have a high protein content and contain large amounts of B vitamins produced by intestinal bacteria (Hansen and Flinders, 1969). Reingestion allows the animals to spend relatively little time exposed to predators while in the field actually feeding. They consume green vegetation rapidly and then make optimum use of it in the safety of their brushpile or burrow. It is somewhat analogous to cud-chewing in cows and other ruminant animals.

• Predators and Defense
  Snakes and weasels are potential predators.

• Parasites
  See Sylvilagus floridanus

• Text
  • Dr. Donald W. Linzey, Wytheville Community College - wclinzd@wcc.vccs.edu
  • Christy Brecht, Wytheville Community College - wcbrecc@wcc.vccs.edu

• Photographs
  • Roger Barbour

• Map development
  • Richard Schulz, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - richard_schulz@nps.gov

• Web page design & coding
  • Denise Lim, University of Georgia, Athens
  • John Pickering, University of Georgia, Athens

• Chapman, J.A. 1975. Sylvilagus transitionalis. Mammalian Species No. 55: 1 - 4. American Society of Mammalogists.

• Chapman, J.A. 1999. Appalachian cottontail. Pages 690-691. In: D.E. Wilson, and S. Ruff (eds.). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.

• Chapman, J. A., K. L. Cramer, N. J. Dippenaar and T. J. Robinson. 1992. Systematics and biogeography of the New England cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis (Bangs, 1895), with the description of a new species from the Appalachian Mountains. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 105 (4): 841 - 866.

• Hansen, R. M. and J. T. Flinders. 1969. Food habits of North American hares. Colorado State University Range Science Department Science Series 31.

• Kellogg, R. 1939. Annotated list of Tennessee mammals. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 86 (3051): 245 - 303.

• Komarek, E. V. and R. Komarek. 1938. Mammals of the Great Smoky Mountains. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 5 (6): 137 - 162.

• Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.

• Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1):1-81.

• Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.