Introduction: The Creature We Take For Granted The white-tailed jackrabbit is not “breeding like rabbits”, at least not in Wisconsin anyway. It is a critter that does not awe most people. We take it for granted, like most small mammals. The white-tailed jackrabbit does not have the intelligence of the ape, the power of the bear, and is certainly a lot less grand than a moose. However, unlike the Eastern Grey Squirrel or the North American Raccoon though, the white-tailed jackrabbit has become very rare in Wisconsin. Its loss means an important loss of food for several predators. It may also have many roles in its habitat that are not yet known. The truth is the white-tailed jackrabbit seems to have disappeared from Wisconsin, and there is very little modern data to show where it may still remain.

Tomato Tomatoe The words rabbit and hare are often used interchangeably because they have similar physical characteristics. Hares and rabbits belong to the same order and family but are different genus and species. The difference is mainly that of their young. Rabbits give birth to blind, helpless, hairless babies that look more like a mole than a furry forest creature. Baby hares are born already able to move and see1.

FastTracksDiffrence Between Baby

Rabbits and HaresRabbits Hares

Blind• Can see•

Hairless• Fully Furred• Unable to • move

Can move • shortly after birth

Habitat

The white-tailed jackrabbit likes open spaces. Its common habitats are grasslands, plowed fields and marshy areas 1. In Wisconsin, the white-tailed jackrabbit formally lived in an area covering most of the southwest portion of the state. The greatest probability of spotting one today is in the Central Sand Plains Landscape (Fig. 1)2. The white tailed- jackrabbit is far more common in Western States due to abundant grassland habitat. The range of the jackrabbit also covers most of Montana, Washington and the Prairie Provinces of Canada 1.

FastTracksHabitat Main Points

Likes prairies, but will settle for a • farm field or marshBest location for spotting in • Wisconsin is the Central Plains LandscapeMore numerous in states west of • the Mississippi River

Preferred Habitat of the white-tailed jackrabbit. Photo by: Robert Lawton

White-Tailed Jackrabbit

Fig. 1. Counties and cities of the Central Plains LandscapeData from ftp://gomapout.dnr.state.wi.us/ of the WDNR

Fig. 2. The Central Plains Landscape in Wisconsin

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Its big and its fast: Physical Characteristics of the White-Tailed Jackrabbit

Identifying the adult white-tailed jackrabbit is easy. A mature white-tailed jackrabbit is a big bunny. Some tip the scale at over nine pounds, and can reach a length of two feet. Snowshoe hares normally only weigh in at four pounds and reach a foot-and-a-half in length 1.Be aware though. Like most hares and rabbits, the white-tailed jackrabbit does not like to be in the spotlight. Trying to chase one will require more power than any legs are built to handle. The average white-tailed jackrabbit can reach average speeds of over 35 mph3!

Fig 2: Appearance of the White Tailed Jackrabbit. Photo Copyright Greg Lasley

The mature white-tailed jackrabbit has a grey topside (Fig 2). As the eye approaches the stomach there is a noticeable change in lightness. The lightness grades to white towards the belly. Their big ears are grey in the front and white on the backside. Capping the ears are tips of black 3. In the winter the animal can turn almost completely white much like that of the snowshoe hare4. Their difference in habitat makes them identifiable in this circumstance. snowshoe hairs like wooded areas, not prairies like the white-tailed jackrabbit.

No Time Wasted at Birth

White-tailed jackrabbits do not take a long time giving birth. Most mothers do so thirty to forty-three days after mating. There is no nest made. The litter of up to 6 young is ready to move around as soon as the mother is. In southern regions of the United States the jackrabbit can breed often with some averaging four litters per year. Because of harsh winters in Wisconsin, the white-tailed jackrabbits have one litter a year 4.

Diet and Predators The white-tailed jackrabbit has a simple diet. During the summer months the rabbit eats green vegetation such as clover, grasses, forbes and field crops. During the winter when green vegetation is absent from its habitat, the rabbit needs to scrounge. The rabbits will eat dried and dead vegetation, buds, twigs and bark. The most obvious natural role for the jackrabbit is being prey. The animal is a very important source of food for many predators such as the coyote2 (Fig. 3). Besides natural predation and disease many white-tailed jackrabbits fall prey to the steel predator we call the automobile5.

Figure 3: The white-tailed jackrabbits role in its environment, also called its niche. Graphic by Eric Craft

Data Data Data… Scientists love Data

The Wisconsin DNR does not decide policy on a whim. Policy is based upon scientific evidence. Such is used to designate a Species of Greatest Conservation need or SGCN. Although some evidence is weaker than others.An ideal situation for assessing a species is numerous studies where accurate data can be extrapolated. The best of these studies would be ones performed within the state of Wisconsin itself. These studies would also be only a few years old. The studies consulted for the white-tailed jackrabbit are far from this ideal. Three main drawbacks occur through nearly all of the studies:

Most of the studies are from out of state, such as the plains states, where white-tailed 1. jackrabbits are numerous. They do not take into account the habitat properties of Wisconsin. The preferred habitat of the white-tailed jackrabbit in North Dakota is different than its habitat of Wisconsin. While similar the states have different climates, development, and a whole slew of other conflicting locations.Much of the data consulted about the white-tailed jackrabbit is over twenty years old. One 2. Wisconsin study is from the 1940s6. A lot of potential change in habitat and the species itself can occur in such a long span of decades.There are inconsistencies in the data of the same topic. Different studies show different 3. ranges for gestation periods, density per acre and so forth. The long span of time between studies makes the inconsistencies even more noticeable.

Scorecard: When having a high test grade is bad

So the information received is not the greatest. But scientists must use what they have in the short amount of time they are given. Getting on the Species of Greatest Conservation Need is like qualifying for the honor role at school. You need a high enough grade point average to qualify. Likewise, to be on the SGBN a species needs a high score from several factors such as, rarity, habitat role, population and so fourth 7.That is where the honor role similarity ends. Having a high score in this school means you are in trouble.they could be very rare, their habitat may be threatened, or other problems. Further studies are needed to see what action needs to be taken to see what needs to be done. This can be from better management, to being listed as a protected species9.

So what does the scorecard say about the white-tailed jackrabbit?

The scorecard says that the white-tailed jackrabbit has vanished from Wisconsin, and no one really knows why. In all of its years of existence in the state, the only population counts came from game kills8. It seems that the white-tailed jackrabbit’s heyday was in the 1950s. In that decade its population within Wisconsin was estimated at about 80,0001. Now the population estimates hover from almost nothing to very rare. Some even consider it an extirpated species1. This means that while it exists in other parts of its range, in Wisconsin it no longer lives. Though, scattered reports arise every so often to confirm at least it has a rare state presence. The last sighting occurred in 20068. So why has the white-tailed jackrabbit hopped away from Wisconsin? Truthfully no one really knows. The scorecard also indicates an uncertain population trend throughout its entire range3. No one knows if the species is thriving or dying. Habitat reduction due to the regrowth of forests and the disappearance of farm land are two major reasons researchers believe the white-tailed jackrabbit is disappearing. No evidence has been gathered to show its disappearance to be just unique to this state or a more worrisome trend throughout its range.More importantly, within Wisconsin nothing is known about its role its habitat. Other than the vague term of prey, what service does this animal provide? Could it be a potentially important species for these ecosystems?

FastTracksThe White-Tailed Jackrabbit

ScorecardOn the SGCN mainly due to • extreme rarityVery little is known about the • animalSporadic signtings occur•

So why is NatureMapping so important?

Such little information on the white-tailed jackrabbit means further studies must be done. These studies need to be exact, up to date, and need to minimize inconsistency. The problem is that if it remains in the state, where exactly do they live? Imagine a math test that asks you to answer a question without giving the appropriate equation. It is not possible to answer such a question. Location is the essential equation in studies of the white-tailed jackrabbit. Without this vital equation no studies can be performed because no one knows where they are. NatureMapping is the central element to the equation. There is never enough funding around for the WDNR to have its scientists scour the state for white-tailed jackrabbits to study. The citizen scientist is needed to carry out this vital task. Who knows… In its own way the white-tailed jackrabbit may thank you for it.

Conclusion

The Jackrabbit, like most small forest creatures has been taken for granted. Its sudden disappearance is a complete mystery. It is indeed a testament for the need of Natureapping and observation. If information about the White-Tailed Jackrabbit can be produced, more conservation actions can be taken by the State of Wisconsin.

Works Cited

Long, Charles A. 2008. The Wild Mammals of Wisconsin. Sofia, Bulgaria; Pensoft Publishers.1.

[Modified 2006]. White-tailed Jackrabbit Species Profile: Ecological Landscape Associations 2. [Internet]. Madison (WI): Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; c2005 [Cited 2009 May 10]. Available from; http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/wwap/explore/profiles.asp?mode=detail&species=AMAEB03040&section=landscape

Whitaker Jr., John O. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals. 3. 1996. New York: Chanticleer Press, Inc; 1996.

Whitaker Jr., John O.; Hamilton Jr., William J. Mammals of the Eastern United States. New 4. York: Comstock Publishing Associates.

Wise, Sherry. The White-Tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsedi). Wisconsin Department of 5. Natural Resources Bureau of Wildlife Management (WI): 1989. Report No. :PUBL-WM-142 89 8641. Available from: W.D. McIntyre library, Eau Claire, WI.

Leopold A. The Distribution of Wisconsin Hares. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of 6. Sciences Arts and Letters. 1945; 37:1-14

Wildlife Action Plan [Internet]. Madison (WI). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; 7. c2006 [Cited 2009 May 10]. Available from; http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/wwap/

Kitchell, Jessica. Annual Mammal Survey 2006 [Internet]. Madison (WI). Wisconsin EcoAtlas 8. (US); c2006 [Cited 2009 May 10]. Available from; http://wiatri.net/ecoatlas/ReportFiles/296AnnualMammalReport06.pdf

Note: As Stated in the article, some of this information is over a decade old, and while accurate

in behaviors of the White-Tailed Jackrabbit, there data about its population may not be.

For Further Reading...

Lim KB. Lepus townsendii. American society of Mammalogist [Internet]. 1987 [Cited 2009 1. May 10]; 288: 1-6. Available from; http://www.jstor.org/stable/3504001.

James TR, Seabloom RW. Biology of the White-Tailed Jackrabbit in North Dakota. The 2. Journal of Wildlife Management [Internet]. c1969 [Cited 2009 April 8];33 (3): 558-568. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3799378. Document No. 399378

Rogowitz GL. Reproduction of White- tailed Jackrabbits on semi- Arid Range. The Journal of 3. Wildlife Management [Internet]. c1992 [cited 2009 April 8] 56 (4): 676-684. Jstor. Lawrence. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3809460. Document No. 3809460

California Interagency Wildlife Taskgroup (CA). White-tailed Jackrabbit. Life History Accounts 4. and Range Maps -California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System. Sacramento (CA): California Department of Fish and Game; 2005 [cited 2009 April 8]. Available from: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/biogeodata/cwhr/cawildlife.aspx.