Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail

Black tailed Jackrabbit by Scott Rheam, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Driving into our ranch, we're often escorted up the road by our friendly neighborhood hare. Our guide will sprint back and forth in front of the car, then stop to make sure we're still following. After a few more zigzags, he'll head into the bushes. Just when we think it's safe to speed up, he'll appear in the road ahead once again.

 

If I were a critter, I'd want to get out of the road as quickly as possible and remain hidden at the first sign of danger. Yet, the stop/start and zigzag approach appears effective for startling a fox—especially at speeds up to 35 mph.

 

Three varieties of rabbits and hares are found in South Monterey County. The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) is the one responsible for guiding our car. The other two, the brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani) and desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), typically scoot across the road quickly and vanish into the brush.

 

Though they are different species, rabbits and hares are often confused with one another, even by their names. A jackrabbit is actually a hare, while a swamp hare is a rabbit. The easiest way to distinguish between them is by size. The black-tailed jackrabbit is almost twice as big as a brush rabbit and has very long legs and ears. It has pale yellow eyes, unlike rabbits, which have dark eyes. The desert cottontail has a grizzled coat and an ochre-colored patch at the base of the neck. The ears are longer than a brush rabbit but shorter than a hare. The "cotton tail" from which it gets its name is quite distinctive.

 

The young of rabbits are born in nests or burrows. They are blind and hairless and dependent on their mothers. Conversely, hares are born above ground with hair and good vision, offering protection from predators.

 

Rabbits and hares are important prey species for eagles, hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, and wild cats. Hares host many parasites, including fleas, ticks, lice, and mites, and carry the disease tularemia. My hunting friends would be well-advised to wear gloves if they take hares at all.

 

In the Neolithic age, hares were buried alongside humans, leading archeologists to conjecture an ancient association between hares and rebirth. What convoluted path took us from there to rabbits bearing chocolate eggs? The Easter Bunny originated from the German "Osterhase" or Easter Hare. In the 17th-Century German tradition, the bunny brought treats to children at Easter. Since eggs were forbidden during Lent, they were boiled and saved for Easter.