What is a Jack Rabbit?

The jack rabbit was given its name due to the size of its ears, which reminded people of those belonging to a donkey. This caused settlers to call the animal the jackass rabbit, which eventually was shortened to jack rabbit. Technically, the jack rabbit is not a rabbit at all.

  1. Hares

    • Jack rabbits are actually hares, differentiated from rabbits because of their size. Also, a jack rabbit's young are born with fur and with their eyes open and the mother jack rabbit does not construct a nest as do true rabbits.

    Description

    • The jack rabbit can attain a length of up to 2 feet and weigh as much as 8 to 9 lbs. They possess long ears and hind legs. The black-tailed jackrabbit has some black on its body, along with a black stripe on its tail and on the ear tips, while the white-tailed jack rabbit has a white tail.

    Abilities

    • The jack rabbit is able to leap as far as 10 feet with a single bound due to its powerfully built hind legs. These rabbits can reach 40 miles an hour. Using this speed and leaping ability, they are able to elude predators.

    Range

    • The black-tailed jack rabbit is a common sight in the deserts of the southwest as well as open areas in most western states. The white-tailed jack rabbit lives in hilly territory and open grasslands of the American West while the antelope jack rabbit, the largest of jack rabbits, is a desert dweller, found mostly in Arizona, California and New Mexico.

    Predators

    • Jack rabbits have to worry constantly about being killed by the many predators that would gladly make a meal of it. Bobcats, coyotes and foxes are the mammals most likely to capture and kill a jack rabbit while birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and owls also present a real danger.