Habitat
•Black-tailed jack rabbit is known to occupy a small
range of habitats, including open
plains, fields, and deserts (Caire et al. 1989). In the United States it has
often been reported that
populations increase with heavy cattle grazing
•these jack rabbits are associated with open country with
scattered shrubs or cacti for
cover. The species is known to occur at elevations ranging from 84 meters below to 3,750 meters above sea level .
Food Habits
•Forage on to herbaceous vegetation such as grasses and
forbs during the spring and
summer, but switch to the buds, bark, and leaves of woody plants in the fall and winter . Water is obtained through consumed
vegetation; an individual's diet is
68% water at minimum. Because the diet of these jack rabbits is often low in nutrients, additional water, protein, and vitamins have
to be obtained through coprophagy - the consumption of fecal pellets Young are known to
consume the pellets of
their mother. These soft pellets are produced while resting during the day, swallowed whole, and re-digested. An adult can
consume as much as 390 grams
of forage each day and will produce, on average, 545 pellets
•