{"elementGlobalId":791204,"circumscripConfidence":{"id":1,"circumscripConfidenceDescEn":"1 - Strong","circumscripConfidenceDescEs":"1 - Fuerte","circumscripConfidenceDescFr":"1 – Forte"},"classificationLevel":{"id":7,"classificationLevelNameEn":"Species","classificationLevelNameEs":"Especies","classificationLevelNameFr":"Espèce"},"classificationStatus":{"id":1,"classificationStatusDescEn":"Standard","classificationStatusDescEs":"Estándar","classificationStatusDescFr":"Standard"},"iucn":{"id":5,"iucnDescEn":"Vulnerable","iucnDescEs":"Vulnerable","iucnDescFr":"Vulnérable","iucnCode":"VU"},"nameCategory":{"id":1,"nameCategoryDescEn":"Vertebrate Animal","nameCategoryDescEs":"Animal vertebrado","nameCategoryDescFr":"Animal vertébré","nameTypeCd":"A","nameTypeDesc":"Zoological"},"rankMethodUsed":{"id":7,"rankMethodUsedDescEn":" Rank calculation - Biotics v2","rankMethodUsedDescEs":null,"rankMethodUsedDescFr":null,"rankMethodUsedExternalDescEn":"Ranked by calculator","rankMethodUsedExternalDescEs":null,"rankMethodUsedExternalDescFr":null},"formattedScientificName":"<i>Sylvilagus transitionalis</i>","scientificName":"Sylvilagus transitionalis","scientificNameAuthor":"(Bangs, 1895)","primaryCommonName":"New England Cottontail","relatedItisNames":"<i>Sylvilagus transitionalis</i> (Bangs, 1895) (TSN 180127)","uniqueId":"ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.791204","elcode":"AMAEB01110","conceptRefFullCitation":"Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.","conceptName":"<i>Sylvilagus transitionalis</i>","taxonomicComments":"Populations west and south of the Hudson River, formerly included in <i>S. transitionalis</i>, are now recognized as a distinct species (<i>Sylvilagus obscurus</i>).","roundedGRank":"G2","conservationStatusFactorsEditionDate":"2025-10-06","conservationStatusFactorsEditionAuthors":"Hammerson, G., and J. C. Whittaker (2007); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025)","primaryCommonNameLanguage":"EN","recordType":"SPECIES","elementNationals":[{"elementNationalId":791205,"classifConfidence":null,"nation":{"id":225,"nameEn":"United States","nameEs":"Estados Unidos","nameFr":"États-Unis","isoCode":"US","region":"United States"},"roundedNRank":"N3","elementSubnationals":[{"elementSubnationalId":791214,"subnation":{"id":38,"nameEn":"New Jersey","nameEs":"Nueva Jersey","nameFr":"New Jersey","subnationCode":"NJ","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"SU","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"SU","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791214,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791211,"subnation":{"id":26,"nameEn":"Maine","nameEs":"Maine","nameFr":"Maine","subnationCode":"ME","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"S2","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"S2","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791211,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791215,"subnation":{"id":41,"nameEn":"New York","nameEs":"Nueva York","nameFr":"New York","subnationCode":"NY","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"S1","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"S1S2","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791215,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791220,"subnation":{"id":55,"nameEn":"Vermont","nameEs":"Vermont","nameFr":"Vermont","subnationCode":"VT","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"SH","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"SH","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791220,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791216,"subnation":{"id":47,"nameEn":"Rhode Island","nameEs":"Rhode Island","nameFr":"Rhode Island","subnationCode":"RI","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"S2","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"S2","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791216,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791213,"subnation":{"id":37,"nameEn":"New Hampshire","nameEs":"New Hampshire","nameFr":"New Hampshire","subnationCode":"NH","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"S1","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"S1","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791213,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791209,"subnation":{"id":24,"nameEn":"Massachusetts","nameEs":"Massachusetts","nameFr":"Massachusetts","subnationCode":"MA","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"S2","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"S2","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791209,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}},{"elementSubnationalId":791206,"subnation":{"id":9,"nameEn":"Connecticut","nameEs":"Connecticut","nameFr":"Connecticut","subnationCode":"CT","dnationId":225},"roundedSRank":"S2","dataSensitive":{"id":2,"dataSensitiveDescEn":"No","dataSensitiveDescEs":null,"dataSensitiveDescFr":null,"dataSensitiveCode":"N"},"dataSensitiveCategory":null,"srank":"S2","speciesSubnational":{"elementSubnationalId":791206,"hybrid":false,"exotic":false,"native":true}}],"nrank":"N3","nrankReviewYear":2007,"speciesNational":{"elementNationalId":791205,"exotic":false,"native":true}}],"lastModified":"2026-10-02T22:43:45.319113Z","lastPublished":"2026-10-02T21:32:08.892226Z","promotionalDescription":null,"conceptLineageSummary":null,"nsxUrl":"/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.791204/Sylvilagus_transitionalis","grankChangeDate":"2025-10-06","grankReasons":"This species is endemic to the northeastern U.S. The population has suffered steep declines in range extent, area of occupancy, and abundance due to the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat. The population continues to decline due to competition with an invasive rabbit species, habitat degradation from invasive plants species, and loss of successional habitat.","grankReviewDate":"2025-10-06","grank":"G2","grankAdjustmentReasons":null,"rankInfo":{"elementGlobalId":791204,"aooPercentGood":null,"enviromentalSpecificity":{"id":1,"enviromentalSpecificityDescEn":"Very narrow.  Specialist or community with key requirements scarce.","enviromentalSpecificityDescEs":"Muy estrecho.  Especialista o comunidad con requisitos claves escasos.","enviromentalSpecificityDescFr":"Très étroit. Spécialistes ou communautés répondant aux critères clés sont rares."},"intrinsicVulnerability":{"id":2,"intrinsicVulnerabilityDescEn":"Highly to moderately vulnerable.","intrinsicVulnerabilityDescEs":"Altamente a moderadamente vulnerable.","intrinsicVulnerabilityDescFr":"De très à moyennement vulnérable"},"longTermTrend":{"id":11,"longTermTrendDescEn":"Decline of 70-90%","longTermTrendDescEs":"Disminución del 70 al 90%.","longTermTrendDescFr":"Diminution de 70 à 90 %"},"numberEos":{"id":10,"numberEosDescEn":"21 - 80","numberEosDescEs":"De 21 a 80","numberEosDescFr":"De 21 à 80"},"numberGoodEos":{"id":12,"numberGoodEosDescEn":"Few (4-12)","numberGoodEosDescEs":"Pocos (4-12)","numberGoodEosDescFr":"Peu (de 4 à 12)"},"numberProtEos":{"id":7,"numberProtEosDescEn":"Few to several (1-12) occurrences appropriately protected and managed","numberProtEosDescEs":"Gradualmente hasta unos pocos casos (1 a 12) adecuadamente protegidos y controlados","numberProtEosDescFr":"De peu à quelques occurrences (de 1 à 12) protégées et contrôlées convenablement"},"popSize":{"id":37,"popSizeDescEn":"Unknown","popSizeDescEs":"Desconocido","popSizeDescFr":"Inconnu"},"rangeExtent":{"id":30,"rangeExtentDescEn":"20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)","rangeExtentDescEs":"De 20.000 a 200.000 kilómetros cuadrados (aproximadamente 8.000 a 80.000.000 millas cuadradas)","rangeExtentDescFr":"De 20 000 à 200 000 km carrés (de 8 000 à 80 000 000 miles carrés approximativement)"},"shortTermTrend":{"id":31,"shortTermTrendDescEn":"Decline of 30-50%","shortTermTrendDescEs":"Disminución del 30 al 50%.","shortTermTrendDescFr":"Diminution de 30 à 50 %"},"threatImpactAssigned":{"id":6,"threatImpactAssignedDescEn":"High - medium","threatImpactAssignedDescEs":"Alto - medio","threatImpactAssignedDescFr":"Élevé — Moyen"},"rangeExtentComments":"The New England cottontail previously was widely distributed in New England, extending north to Rutland, Vermont, southern New Hampshire, southwestern Maine, and southwest through eastern New York. The range has been reduced and fragmented. Currently the species is restricted to boreal/montane regions in southwestern Maine, central and southern New Hampshire, perhaps extreme southern Vermont (Litvaitis 1993), Massachusetts (except southeastern part), northern Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York east of the Hudson River (Chapman et al. 1992). Remnant populations are apparently restricted to 5 regions: 1) seacoast region of southern Maine and New Hampshire, 2) Merrimack River Valley of New Hampshire, 3) a portion of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 4) eastern Connecticut and Rhode Island, and 5) portions of western Connecticut, eastern New York, and southwestern Massachusetts (Litvaitis et al. 2006, Fuller and Tur 2012). Using Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (2025) records from 2000-2025, range extent is estimated to be 48,915 km² (RARECAT 2025).","areaOfOccupancy":null,"areaOfOccupancyComments":null,"numberEosComments":"The current distribution is fragmented into five apparently isolated (and relatively large) core areas (Litvaitis et al. 2006, USFWS 2006, Fuller and Tur 2012). In 2016-2017, 103 survey sites were occupied throughout the range (Rittenhouse and Kovach 2020). Using NatureServe (2025) occurrence data, 25 occurrences are estimated (RARECAT 2025).","popSizeComments":"The difficulty of detecting this species precludes accurate abundance estimates (Fuller and Tur 2012).","viabilityComments":"Populations in Maine, New Hampshire and Cape Cod likely have poor viability without conservation action (Fenderson et al. 2011).","threatImpactComments":"This species is threatened by habitat loss, habitat degradation, and competition with an invasive rabbit species. This species has a strong preference for successional habitats with dense undergrowth of native shrubs (Litvaitis 1992, Litvaitis 1993, Finn et al. 2025). Succession and maturation of forests in the absence of natural disturbances has declined habitat quality (Litvaitis 1992, Litvaitis 1993, Litvaitis 2006). Invasive shrubs (e.g., Japanese barberry (<i>Berberis thunbergii</i>), multiflora rose (<i>Rosa multiflora</i>), autumn olive (<i>Elaeagnus umbellata</i>), bush honeysuckle (<i>Lonicera tatarica</i>)) are not favored for cover or food when better quality habitat and forage is available (Cheeseman et al. 2018, Eline et al. 2022, Finn et al. 2025). Competition with introduced eastern cottontail (<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>) in New England have led to New England cottontail being pushed out of favorable habitats (Cheeseman et al. 2018, Eline et al. 2022, Bischoff et al. 2023, Finn et al. 2025).","shortTermTrendComments":"One study estimated area of occupancy has declined by 50% since 2009 (Rittenhouse and Kovach 2020).","longTermTrendComments":"Range has decreased by more than 85% over the past several decades (Litvaitis et al. 2006, USFWS 2006). Occupied range has contracted from approximately 90,000 km² to 12,180 km², and much of the suitable habitat within the current range is in small patches that are not occupied (Litvaitis et al. 2006, USFWS 2006). A multi-state, regional inventory conducted in 2001-2004 found that New England cottontails were absent from 93% of approximately 2,300 habitat patches within the recent historical range (1990 to present) that were searched for the presence of the species (Litvaitis et al. 2006, USFWS 2006). Many of the occupied sites were quite small (3 acres or less) and are considered by some researchers to be population \"sinks\" (Litvaitis et al. 2006, USFWS 2006).","inventoryNeeds":"Efforts to improve understanding of current distribution and abundance should be continued.","numberProtEosComments":"It is estimated that less than one-third of the currently occupied sites occur on lands in conservation status, and fewer than 10% of these sites in conservation status are being managed for early successional forest species such as the New England cottontail (USFWS 2006, Fuller and Tur 2012).","protectionNeeds":"Protection of large tracts of habitat is the primary need. Where they do not already exist, strong regulations are needed to control the importation and release of other <i>Sylvilagus </i>species within the historic range of the New England cottontail. Removal of eastern cottontail (<i>Sylvilagus floridanus</i>) and invasive shrubs are both needed to improve habitat quality.","otherConsiderations":null,"intrinsicVulnerabilityComments":"Small, isolated populations are vulnerable to extirpation by chance events (Kirtland 1986, Fenderson et al. 2011).","enviromentalSpecificityComments":"This species prefers successional habitats in hardwood forests (Fuller and Tur 2012, Eline et al. 2022, Finn et al. 2025)."},"animalCharacteristics":{"elementGlobalId":791204,"majorHabitat":{"id":3,"majorHabitatDescEn":"Terrestrial","majorHabitatDescEs":"Terrestre","majorHabitatDescFr":"Terrestre"},"nonMigrant":true,"localMigrant":false,"longDistanceMigrant":false,"mobilityMigrationComments":null,"foodHabitsComments":"The diet includes mostly forbs, with some grass and woody material, in spring and summer, but the winter diet is mostly twigs, bark, and buds of woody species. In periods of snow, the diet may be entirely evergreen needles such as hemlock (TSUGA) and spruce (PICEA). Oak (QUERCUS) and maple (ACER) are also preferred woody foods in New England. Hawthorn (CRATAEGUS) fruits are eaten in autumn. Nottage (1972) believed the New England cottontail to be more restricted in its choice of foods than the eastern cottontail.","animalPhenologyComments":"Most commonly seen at dusk and dawn.","colonialBreeder":false,"length":48,"width":null,"weight":1347,"animalPhenologies":[{"animalCagPhenologyId":103370,"animalPhenology":{"id":4,"animalPhenologyDescEn":"Nocturnal","animalPhenologyDescEs":"Nocturno","animalPhenologyDescFr":"Nocturne","displayOrder":4},"adult":true,"immature":true},{"animalCagPhenologyId":103371,"animalPhenology":{"id":5,"animalPhenologyDescEn":"Crepuscular","animalPhenologyDescEs":"Crepuscular","animalPhenologyDescFr":"Crépusculaire","displayOrder":5},"adult":true,"immature":true}],"animalFoodHabits":[{"animalCagFoodHabitsId":106270,"foodHabits":{"id":4,"foodHabitsDescEn":"Herbivore","foodHabitsDescEs":"Herbívoro","foodHabitsDescFr":"Herbivore","displayOrder":4},"adult":true,"immature":true}]},"occurrenceDelineations":[{"eoSpecsDetailId":1053,"locationUseClass":{"id":1,"locationUseClassDescEn":"Not applicable","locationUseClassDescEs":"No se aplica","locationUseClassDescFr":"Sans objet","displayOrder":1},"eoSpecGroupName":"Cottontail Rabbits","subtypes":null,"inferredExtentDistance":0.2,"inferredExtentNotes":"Based on an average home range size of about 3.5 hectares (Fitch 1947, Trent and Rongstad 1974, Althoff and Storm 1989).","minimumEoCriteria":"Evidence of historical presence, or current and likely recurring presence, at a given location. Such evidence minimally includes collection or reliable observation and documentation of one or more individuals in appropriate habitat where the species is presumed to be established and breeding.","mappingGuidance":null,"separationBarriers":"Major rivers and medium to large lakes. Rabbits can and do swim, and can cross frozen water bodies, so caution must be used in determining whether a water body is a true barrier; flow patterns, etc. must be taken into account.","separationDistanceUnsuitableHabitatat":2.0,"separationDistanceSuitableHabitatat":10.0,"altSeparationProcedure":null,"separationJustification":"Unsuitable habitat: urban/suburban areas, water bodies that are not complete barriers, etc. <br><br>Dispersal potential, though poorly documented in most species, is considerable. For example, a female eastern cottontail (<i>S. floridanus</i>) escaped from an enclosure and returned to its original capture site 3.74 km away (Hill 1967). Preliminary data for the pygmy rabbit (<i>Brachylagus idahoensis</i>) indicate that juveniles regularly disperse a few to several kilometers (up to at least 11.8 km); average natal dispersal distances for males and females were 1.7 km and 4.7 km, respectively (Wendy Estes-Zumpf, University of Idaho, unpublished data).","versionDate":"2004-10-19","versionAuthor":"Cannings, S., and G. Hammerson","versionNotes":null,"lastModified":"2020-04-30T02:04:23.363087Z"}],"plantCharacteristics":null,"elementManagement":{"elementGlobalId":791204,"eoManagementGroupName":null,"stewardshipOverview":"The New England cottontail has experienced significant decline in recent years, probably due to habitat alteration and consequent increased competition with the eastern cottontail. Enhanced adaptability of the eastern cottontail due to interbreeding with stocked cottontails from the west may be a factor. <br><br>Maintenance of some large blocks of boreal forest without significant openings would provide refuges where this species would have a competitive advantage. Species- specific restriction of hunting seems neither practical nor necessary at present.<br><br>Litvaitis et al. (2006) recommend the following: at the population or landscape scale, current land uses should guide habitat manipulations that expand existing populations; at the regional scale, consideration should be given to increasing dispersal among remnant populations, possibly by generating \"stepping stones\" of suitable habitat. <br>","impacts":null,"restorationPotential":"It appears likely that in prime habitat New England cottontails may be able to hold their own against eastern cottontails, perhaps because of their better adaptation to cold and to sites with continuous dense cover (Chapman et al. 1977). It may therefore be possible to restore them to some areas from which they have been extirpated. <br><br>Before reintroduction of New England cottontails to a segment of appropriate habitat, it is desirable to determine that they are indeed extirpated from the locality. Absence of the eastern cottontail would probably also favor success. It is always preferable that stock for reintroduction come from nearby populations, but it is less critical in this case than with many species because of the low genetic variability within S. TRANSITIONALIS.","siteConservationPlansConsidered":"To sustain the species in Vermont, Litvaitis (1993) recommended that restoration sites (early successional habitats in forest-dominated landscapes) be at least 5 ha and clustered to facilitate exchange between patches and to limit fragmentation of mature forests. Maintaining large blocks of essentially unbroken forest might provide a competitive advantage to New England cottontails over eastern cottontails. Although both species prefer early successional habitat, the New England cottontail is apparently better adapted to forest and unbroken dense cover than is the eastern cottontail.","managementMethods":"Management procedures should encourage the maintenance of large blocks of shrubby, early successional habitats (Chapman et al. 1982, Litvaitis 1993). <br><br>As with other cottontail species, providing escape cover is probably the easiest way to increase numbers. Brushpiles are a temporary (3-5 year) solution; establishing dense shrubs is more long-term (Chapman et al. 1982). <br><br>To avoid competitive interactions, introductions of other SYLVILAGUS species should be prevented. <br><br>\"Because the New England and eastern cottontails are so similar externally, it would be difficult to promulgate laws to control the shooting of New England cottontails; however, restrictions on the hunting of any cottontails within certain forested habitats might prove effective in decreasing mortality in the New England cottontail.\" (Kirkland 1985). Chapman and Fuller (1975) suggested that such refuges could forestall eventual extermination of the species.","monitoringMethods":"In need of continuous population monitoring throughout the range, at least until status and population trends are better understood. As this is a game species, monitoring in many areas might best be accomplished by collecting heads from hunters and analyzing the skulls. This can introduce a bias in distribution data for heavily used hunting areas. Road kills are another source, and of course the rabbits can be trapped. Nugent (1968) found New England cottontails more likely to be repeatedly trapped than eastern cottontails.","managementProgramContacts":"The New England cottontail is included on the Forest Service Region 9 Sensitive Species list and consequently will be considered in all planning and activity wherever it is likely to occur on the national forests. Contact the U.S. Forest Service, Region 9, 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Room 500, Milwaukee, WI 53203, tel. 414-291-3600.","monitoringProgramContacts":"Occurrences of New England cottontails are monitored by most natural heritage programs.","managementResearchPrograms":null,"managementResearchNeeds":"Research is needed on the effect of habitat management practices--which ones favor S. TRANSITIONALIS over S. FLORIDANUS? How is population persistence related to population size (or size of occupied habitat patch) in isolated populations?","biologicalResearchNeeds":"Better information is needed on the impact of introduced <i>Sylvilagus </i>populations. Minimum population size needed to maintain viability in fragmented habitats should be investigated. Studies are needed on proper management after the removal of invasive plants.","additionalTopics":null},"occurrenceViabilities":[{"eoRankSpecsDetailId":177201,"eoRankSpecsGroupName":null,"locationUseClass":{"id":1,"locationUseClassDescEn":"Not applicable","locationUseClassDescEs":"No se aplica","locationUseClassDescFr":"Sans objet","displayOrder":1},"excellentViability":null,"goodViability":null,"fairViability":null,"poorViability":null,"viabilityJustification":"Use the Generic Guidelines for the Application of Occurrence Ranks (2008).<br>The Key for Ranking Species Occurrences Using the Generic Approach provides a step-wise process for implementing this method.","versionDate":null,"versionAuthor":null,"versionNotes":null,"lastModified":"2020-05-14T05:21:33.212306Z"}],"references":[{"id":1151804,"citation":"American Society of Mammalogists (ASM). 2025. Mammal Diversity Database (Version 1.13) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10595931. Online. Available: https://www.mammaldiversity.org/","shortCitationAuthor":"American Society of Mammalogists (ASM)","shortCitationYear":2025,"referenceCode":"W25ASM01NAUS","lastModified":"2025-04-04T21:45:15.526109Z"},{"id":109038,"citation":"Barbour, M. S., and J. A. Litvaitis. 1992. Niche dimensions of New England cottontails in a fragmented landscape. Abstract, 6th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology, p. 36.","shortCitationAuthor":"Barbour and Litvaitis","shortCitationYear":1992,"referenceCode":"U92BAR01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.364512Z"},{"id":136224,"citation":"Barbour, M. S., and J. A. Litvaitis. 1993. Niche dimensions of New England cottontails in relation to habitat patch size. Oecologia 95:321-327.","shortCitationAuthor":"Barbour and Litvaitis","shortCitationYear":1993,"referenceCode":"A93BAR01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.364512Z"},{"id":123839,"citation":"Barbour, R. W., and W. H. Davis. 1974. Mammals of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.","shortCitationAuthor":"Barbour and Davis","shortCitationYear":1974,"referenceCode":"B74BAR01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T18:16:11.198156Z"},{"id":146733,"citation":"Barry, R. E., M. Stevens-Sommer, and N. Bensley. 1996. Distribution, home range, and habitat of the New England cottontail (SYLVILAGUS TRANSITIONALIS) in western Maryland. Unpublished report, Maryland Natural Heritage Program.","shortCitationAuthor":"Barry et al.","shortCitationYear":1996,"referenceCode":"U96BAR01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.348838Z"},{"id":131133,"citation":"Betsill, Carl.","shortCitationAuthor":"Betsill","shortCitationYear":null,"referenceCode":"PNDBET01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.348838Z"},{"id":148949,"citation":"Betsill, C. W. 1987. Sylvilagus transitionalis (Bangs). New England cottontail. Pp. 43-46 in: Clark, M.K. (ed.), Endangered, threatened, and rare fauna of North Carolina, Part I. A re-evaluation of the mammals. Occas. Paper. North Carolina Biol. Surv.","shortCitationAuthor":"Betsill","shortCitationYear":1987,"referenceCode":"A87BET01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.380087Z"},{"id":1157919,"citation":"Bischoff, K. E., T. A. G. Rittenhouse, and C. D. Rittenhouse. 2023. Introduced competitor reduces abundance of an imperiled cottontail. Biological Invasions 25: 3553-3566. doi: 10.1007/s10530-023-03124-1","shortCitationAuthor":"Bischoff et al.","shortCitationYear":2023,"referenceCode":"A23BIS01NAUS","lastModified":"2025-11-01T15:12:34.967276Z"},{"id":154695,"citation":"Blymer, M. J. 1976. A new elevation record for the New England cottontail in Virginia. Chesapeake Sci. 17:220-1.","shortCitationAuthor":"Blymer","shortCitationYear":1976,"referenceCode":"A76BLY01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.348838Z"},{"id":759420,"citation":"Bradley, R.D., L.K. Ammerman, R.J. Baker, L.C. Bradley, J.A. Cook. R.C. Dowler, C. Jones, D.J. Schmidly, F.B. Stangl Jr., R.A. Van den Bussche and B. Würsig. 2014. Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico, 2014. Museum of Texas Tech University Occasional Papers 327:1-28. Available at: http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/publications/opapers/ops/OP327.pdf","shortCitationAuthor":"Bradley et al.","shortCitationYear":2014,"referenceCode":"A14BRA01NACA","lastModified":"2020-02-25T14:38:17.880059Z"},{"id":129810,"citation":"Brenner, F. J. 1986. Habitat preservation and development for rare and endangered species management. Pages 37-52 in S. K. Majumdar, F. H. Brenner, and A. F. Rhoads (ed.). Endangered and threatened species programs in Pennsylvania and other states: causes, issues and management. Pennsylvania Academy of Science.","shortCitationAuthor":"Brenner","shortCitationYear":1986,"referenceCode":"A86BRE01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.348838Z"},{"id":134440,"citation":"Burt, W. H. 1976. A field guide to the mammals. 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Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC.","shortCitationAuthor":"Webster et al.","shortCitationYear":1985,"referenceCode":"B85WEB01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T18:13:04.336Z"},{"id":106043,"citation":"West Virgina Division of Natural Resources. 1992. Natural History Research in West Virginia. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, Elkins, West Virginia.","shortCitationAuthor":"West Virgina Division of Natural Resources","shortCitationYear":1992,"referenceCode":"N92WES01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T19:36:26.364512Z"},{"id":135694,"citation":"Whitaker, J. O., Jr. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American mammals. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 745 pp.","shortCitationAuthor":"Whitaker","shortCitationYear":1980,"referenceCode":"B80WHI01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T18:13:40.586526Z"},{"id":117022,"citation":"Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/.","shortCitationAuthor":"Wilson and Reeder","shortCitationYear":1993,"referenceCode":"B93WIL01NAUS","lastModified":"2020-02-25T14:38:17.880059Z"},{"id":477777,"citation":"Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Third edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. Two volumes. 2,142 pp. [As modified by ASM the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) at https://www.mammaldiversity.org/index.html]","shortCitationAuthor":"Wilson and Reeder","shortCitationYear":2005,"referenceCode":"B05WIL01NAUS","lastModified":"2022-07-02T00:44:59.638537Z"}],"otherCommonNames":[],"speciesGlobal":{"elementGlobalId":791204,"cites":null,"cosewic":null,"fwsRegion":{"id":5,"fwsRegionDescEn":"Northeast","fwsRegionDescEs":"Noreste","fwsRegionDescFr":"Nord-Est"},"genusSize":{"id":3,"genusSizeDescEn":"Small genus","genusSizeDescEs":"Género pequeño","genusSizeDescFr":"Petit genre"},"jurisEndem":{"id":3,"jurisEndemDescEn":"endemic to a single nation","jurisEndemDescEs":"Endémico de una nación","jurisEndemDescFr":"Endémique à une nation"},"nomenclaturallyEst":null,"usesa":null,"informalTaxonomy":{"informalTaxonomyId":6,"level1":"Animals","level2":"Vertebrates","level3":"Mammals","level":3,"hasChildren":false,"parentId":2,"distributionStatus":"complete","displayOrder":1090},"parentSpecies":null,"infraspecies":false,"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Craniata","taxclass":"Mammalia","taxorder":"Lagomorpha","family":"Leporidae","genus":"Sylvilagus","americanFisheriesStatus":null,"americanFisheriesStatusDate":null,"saraStatus":null,"saraStatusDate":null,"cosewicDate":null,"interpretedCosewic":null,"cosewicComments":null,"usesaDate":null,"interpretedUsesa":null,"usesaComments":"In a 12-month petition finding, USFWS (2015) found that listing this species as endangered or threatened is not warranted. On the basis of the best scientific and commercial information available, USFWS find that the current and future threats are not of sufficient imminence, intensity, or magnitude to indicate that the New England cottontail is in danger of extinction (endangered), or likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future (threatened). Therefore, the New England cottontail does not meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species, and USFWS are withdrawing their previous \"warranted, but precluded findings\" and removing the species from the list of \"candidate\" species (USFWS 2015).","completeDistribution":true,"synonyms":[],"infraspeciesList":[],"ebarId":null,"ebarCanadianScope":false,"ebarGlobalScope":false,"ebarKbaGroup":"Mammals","caGeneralStatusId":null},"speciesCharacteristics":{"elementGlobalId":791204,"reproductionComments":"Breeding season is January to September, peaking from March to July. The gestation period is 28 days. Litter size is genrally 3-5 or occasionally up to 8, with up to several litters per year. Litters are smaller but more numerous than in the eastern cottontail, resulting in about the same productivity. Most individuals first breed in their second season, but 18% of pregnancies are in juveniles. The sex ratio of adults is 57 males to 100 females (Dalke 1942, Chapman et al. 1977).","ecologyComments":"Home range in northern populations varies from less than an 0.5 ha to around 3-4 ha (Dalke 1942). Home range sometimes tends to be linear, as when along brushy borders of marshes and fields. <br><br>Fairly uncommon in much of range. Estimated density in New Hampshire was 0.3-7/ha (Barbour and Litvaitis 1993). <br><br>In New Hampshire, populations in small habitat patches had a lower mean condition index and lower winter survival than did populations in larger habitat patches; this was due in part to increased use of suboptimal habitat in small habitat patches (Barbour and Litvaitis 1992). <br><br>The New England cottontail is presumably subject to the same predators as other rabbits (e.g. fox, coyote, bobcat, weasels, domestic dog and cat, humans, large snakes and various raptors). Parasites include ticks, fleas, botflies, tapeworms, and roundworms (Chapman 1975). <br><br>Many populations may be suffering from competition with eastern cottontails (see threats). <br><br>Juvenile mortality is high.","habitatComments":"This species is associated with many different types of vegetation. It is now mainly restricted to boreal/montane habitats (Chapman et al. 1992). Early successional habitats apparently are important (Litvaitis 1992); this rabbit often occurs in disturbance patches where secondary succession has progressed about 10-25 years, yielding shrubs and woody seedlings/saplings (Litvaitis 1993). Large patches of habitat are most suitable (Barbour and Litvaitis 1992, 1993). In winter, sites with dense understory cover are preferred (Litvaitis 1993). <br><br>Nests are made in a depression on the ground, sometimes at the base of a stump, lined with grass and fur and capped with twigs and leaves. (Dalke 1942, Tefft and Chapman 1983). They are usually in brush or woods rather than grasslands (Dalke 1937).","generalDescription":"A rabbit closely resembling the common eastern cottontail (<i>S. floridanus</i>), but tending to be a little smaller and darker (see Diagnostic Characteristics). <br><br>Length 36.3-48.3 cm, usually about 40 cm. Hind foot length averages 9.3 cm, ear length from notch 5.8 cm. Adult mass 750-1,347 g. Females are slightly larger than males (Chapman and Morgan 1973, Godin 1977). <br><br>The back is pinkish to ochraceous buff, overlaid with black- tipped guard hairs. The rump is slightly duller, brown, usually not grayish. \"The short, rounded ears are heavily furred, with long whitish hairs on the anterior border near the base. The outer edge of the ear has a broad, black stripe which does not blend gradually into the browner color of the ear as in the eastern cottontail. There is usually a black spot between the ears and never a white spot or blaze on the forehead.\" (Godin 1977). <br><br>For characteristics of the skull, see Diagnostic Characteristics. <br><br>Numerous good illustrations and photographs of the New England cottontail have been published, including Cronan and Brooks (1968), Chapman and Morgan (1973), Barbour and Davis (1974), and Whitaker (1980). The skull is well-illustrated by Barbour and Davis (1974), Chapman (1975), Godin (1977), and Hall (1981). Fies (1984) provides a good color photo comparing the skulls of <i>S. transitionalis</i> and <i>S. floridanus</i>, but note that the captions are reversed. <br><br>For age determination of cottontails see Chapman et al. (1982). <br><br>Medium-sized cottontail with dorsal parts pinkish buff to ochraceous buff, overlain with black hairs resulting in a lined effect; distinct black edge on the ears and usually a distinct black spot between the ears; posterior supraorbital process is thin and tapering and the anterior supraorbital process is lacking or jagged or irregular in outline (Chapman et al. 1992).","diagnosticCharacteristics":"Northern population differs from southern population in karyotype (2n=52 vs. 2n=46 in OBSCURUS) and in the adult skull being proportionately longer anteriorly and wider medially (Chapman et al. 1992, which see for the discriminant function analysis needed to identify specimens using skulls). Pelage characteristics are not diagnostic for distinguishing between the northern and southern populations. <br><br>This rabbit differs from S. FLORIDANUS in having the frontal-nasal suture jagged rather than smooth, lacking a distinct anterior supraorbital process, and having the tip of the posterior supraorbital process not fused to the frontal. Typically, in winter pelage, has dark spot between the ears and dark anterior edge of ears whereas S. 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