New England Cottontail
Encyclopedia
The New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a species of cottontail rabbit
represented by fragmented populations in areas of New England
, specifically from southern Maine
to southern New York
. This species bears a close resemblance to the Eastern Cottontail
, but this species retains its brown color during winter, making it easy prey to coyotes and owls when it cannot find adequate habitat cover.
Populations have declined by 86 percent over the past 50 years. Because of this decrease in this species' numbers and habitat, the New England Cottontail is currently a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act
. Cottontail hunting has been restricted in some areas where the Eastern and New England Cottontail species coexist to protect the remaining New England Cottontail population.
Rabbits require habitat patches of at least 12 acres to maintain a stable population. In New Hampshire, the number of suitable patches dropped from 20 to 8 in the early 2000's. The ideal habitat is 25 acres of continuous early successional habitat within a larger landscape that provides shrub wetlands and dense thickets. Federal funding has been used for habitat restoration work on state lands, including the planting of shrubs and other growth critical to the rabbit's habitat. Funding has also been made available to private landowners who are willing to create thicket-type brush habitat which doesn't have much economic value.
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
represented by fragmented populations in areas of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, specifically from southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
to southern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. This species bears a close resemblance to the Eastern Cottontail
Eastern Cottontail
The eastern cottontail is a New World cottontail rabbit, a member of the family Leporidae. It is one of the most common rabbit species in North America.-Distribution:...
, but this species retains its brown color during winter, making it easy prey to coyotes and owls when it cannot find adequate habitat cover.
Populations have declined by 86 percent over the past 50 years. Because of this decrease in this species' numbers and habitat, the New England Cottontail is currently a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
. Cottontail hunting has been restricted in some areas where the Eastern and New England Cottontail species coexist to protect the remaining New England Cottontail population.
Rabbits require habitat patches of at least 12 acres to maintain a stable population. In New Hampshire, the number of suitable patches dropped from 20 to 8 in the early 2000's. The ideal habitat is 25 acres of continuous early successional habitat within a larger landscape that provides shrub wetlands and dense thickets. Federal funding has been used for habitat restoration work on state lands, including the planting of shrubs and other growth critical to the rabbit's habitat. Funding has also been made available to private landowners who are willing to create thicket-type brush habitat which doesn't have much economic value.