Mammals
White-Tailed Jackrabbit
Lepus townsendii · also called white-tailed jackrabbits
Nearly invisible against a snow-covered northern plain, a white-tailed jackrabbit sits motionless, its almost entirely white winter coat blending seamlessly into terrain far colder than most jackrabbit species are built to tolerate.
Overview
The white-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus townsendii, is the largest hare species found in North America, native to open grassland and mountain habitat across a broad range of the northern and western United States and adjacent parts of Canada. Its considerable size, seasonal shift to an almost entirely white winter coat, and tolerance for colder, higher-elevation habitat than most jackrabbits make it one of the more physically striking hares found on the continent.
The biggest hare built for the coldest ground
While most jackrabbit species stick to warmer desert and lowland habitat, the white-tailed jackrabbit has instead adapted to some of the coldest, highest ground any North American hare regularly occupies, turning nearly pure white to match it each winter.
Status
Least Concern but decreasing, present across suitable open grassland and mountain habitat throughout the northern and western United States, with declines in parts of its range linked to agricultural habitat conversion.
White-Tailed Jackrabbit: common questions
How big is the white-tailed jackrabbit compared to other jackrabbits?
This species is the largest hare found in North America, noticeably bigger than most other jackrabbit species it shares the continent with, including the more widespread black-tailed jackrabbit found across warmer, lower-elevation habitat.
Why does the white-tailed jackrabbit turn white in winter?
Across the northern parts of its range, this species moults to an almost entirely white winter coat for camouflage against snow, a seasonal adaptation less pronounced or entirely absent in populations from milder, more southern areas where snow cover is less reliable.
How is the white-tailed jackrabbit's habitat different from the black-tailed jackrabbit's?
This species occupies colder, often higher-elevation grassland and mountain habitat than the black-tailed jackrabbit, tolerating conditions that would be inhospitable to that more warmth-adapted, lower-elevation desert relative.
Does the white-tailed jackrabbit dig burrows for shelter?
No, this species relies on speed and endurance rather than burrows for safety, using powerful legs capable of sustaining high speed over considerable distances to escape predators across the open grassland and mountain terrain it occupies.