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Fact Sheet

What is a Jack Rabbit?

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By John L
eHow Contributing Writer
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What is a Jack Rabbit?
What is a Jack Rabbit?
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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.

    Hares

  1. 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.
  2. Description

  3. 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.
  4. Abilities

  5. 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.
  6. Range

  7. 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.
  8. Predators

  9. 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.
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eHow Article: What is a Jack Rabbit?

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