Jack Rabbits and Hares

The term jack rabbit is somewhat of a misnomer because jack rabbits are technically hares. Their nickname was derived from the resemblance of their ears to those of a jack ass. The black tailed hares and white tailed hares are the animals that are commonly known as jack rabbits. Despite the inaccuracy of the name jack rabbit, this is the most common moniker used for this breed.

Jack rabbits have a one and a half month gestation period. The male and females mate throughout the year and females give birth to litters ranging, on average, from one to six offspring. Each female may have more than one litter per year. The mothers do not nest prior to giving birth. Rabbits nest before the birth of their young but since jack rabbits are really hares they do not nest before birth. The mother gives birth to babies that have their complete fur and their eyes open so there is no need for nesting.

The jack rabbit is typically fifteen to twenty inches long excluding the tail. The tail itself can be an additional two to four inches. The weight of jack rabbits can very drastically but most of them weigh more than seven pounds. The coat of the jack rabbit is a grayish brown color and they have white markings on their forehead, around their eyes and on the backs of their ears. Their ears are usually four to five inches long and are carried in an upright position.

During the spring and summer months, grass is the favored meal of jack rabbits. During the winter jack rabbits resort to a diet consisting of bark as well as any buds that are remaining on bushes. If the season is particularly dry, cacti become a source of nourishment for jack rabbits.

The jack rabbit is an athletic hare. They are built for speed and rely on their ability to move swiftly to avoid predators. Jack rabbits tend to stay in open area where they can utilize their keen hearing and eye sight to detect the presence of predators. When a predator is detected jack rabbits are capable of traveling at speeds of approximately 40 miles per hour in order to escape their natural predators.

Jack rabbits can be considered to be a nuisance. Each jack rabbit is capable of consuming one half to one pound of vegetation each day. Although this may not seem like much, areas where there is a large population of jack rabbits can be destroyed rather quickly. When jack rabbits find a reliable source for food they are likely to continue to return to their source of nutrition until they have either completely consumed and destroyed the source or until some type of barrier is constructed to keep the jack rabbits from entering the area. Those who live in an area that is highly populated with jack rabbits often have to construct rabbit fences to protect their property.

In most states jack rabbits are considered nongame and therefore are not protected by state game laws. However, there may be some regulations that affect your ability to control the jack rabbit population especially in the case of snowshoe hares. Local wildlife agencies should be contacted and consulted before any jack rabbit control measures are taken to ensure that no regulations are being broken.