View source for Mountain cottontail

{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Mountain cottontail
| status = LC 
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| image = Nuttall's Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii).jpg
| image_caption = [[Hanford Site]], Washington, United States
| status_ref = <ref name="IUCN status" />
| genus = Sylvilagus
| species = nuttallii
| authority = ([[John Bachman|Bachman]], 1837)
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true
 |title=<small>Synonyms</small>
|''Lepus sylvaticus pinetus'' <small>(M. A. Lawrence, 1993)</small>
|''Lepus sylvaticus pinetis'' <small>(J. A. Allen, 1894)</small>
|''Lepus sylvaticus grangeri'' <small>(J. A. Allen, 1895)</small>
|''Lepus nuttallii'' <small>(Bachman, 1837)</small>
|''Lepus nuttalii'' <small>(Lesson, 1842)</small>
|''Lepus nuttalli'' <small>(J. A. Allen, 1896)</small>
|''Lepus laticinctus perplicatus'' <small>(D. G. Elliot, 1904)</small>
|''Lepus artemesia'' <small>(Bachman, 1839)</small>
|''Lepus artemisianus'' <small>(J. E. Gray, 1867)</small>
|''Lepus sylvaticus nuttalli'' <small>(F. W. True, 1885)</small>
|''Lepus grangeri'' <small>(J. A. Allen, 1896)</small>
|''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) grangeri'' <small>Lyon, 1904</small>
|''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) nuttallii'' <small>Lyon, 1904</small>
|''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) floridanus pinetis'' <small>Lyon, 1904</small>
|''Sylvilagus nuttallii nuttallii'' <small>V. O. Bailey, 1936</small>
|''Sylvilagus nuttalli'' <small>Corbet & J. Edwards Hill, 1980</small>
|''Sylvilagus artemisia'' <small>J. E. Gray, 1867</small>
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="Mammaldiversity" />
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = {{plainlist|
*''Sylvilagus nuttallii nuttallii'' <small>(Bachman, 1837)</small>
*''Sylvilagus nuttallii pinetis'' <small>(J. Allen, 1894)</small>
*''Sylvilagus nuttallii grangeri'' <small>([[Joel Asaph Allen|J. Allen]], 1895)</small>
}}
| subdivision_ref = <ref name="Hoffmann-210" />
| range_map = Mountain Cottontail area.png
| range_map_caption = Mountain cottontail range
}}
The '''mountain cottontail''' or '''Nuttall's cottontail''' ('''''Sylvilagus nuttallii''''') is a [[species]] of [[rabbit]] found in western [[Canada]] and the [[United States]]. It is a medium- to small-sized rabbit with pale brown fur, white undersides, a two-colored tail, and black-tipped, rounded ears with densely furred insides. It has notably rusty-colored legs and an orange [[nape]]. The mountain cottontail appears largely among [[coniferous forests]] in mountainous regions, including the slopes of the [[Rocky Mountains]] and the [[Cascade Range|Cascade]]-[[Sierra Nevada]] mountain ranges, and adapts to a variety of elevations and vegetation. Its diet is made up of various [[Poaceae|grasses]], [[shrub]]s, and [[Artemisia (plant)|sagebrush]], as well as [[twig]]s, [[Bark (botany)|bark]] or [[Fungus|fungi]] in lesser amounts or when foliage is scarce.

The mountain cottontail was first described in 1837 by naturalist [[John Bachman]] and was given the [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''nuttallii'' after zoologist [[Thomas Nuttall]]. [[Marcus Ward Lyon Jr.]] later placed the species in the genus ''[[Sylvilagus]]'' in 1904. The species is closely related to the [[desert cottontail]], and less so to the [[swamp rabbit]] and [[marsh rabbit]]. There are three [[subspecies]] of the mountain cottontail, and limited evidence points to the three as each making up distinct species.

The [[Species distribution|range]] of the mountain cottontail has shrunk due to [[climate change]] and competition from the [[eastern cottontail]] and other [[Leporidae|leporids]], though it is [[Sympatry|sympatric]] with the [[snowshoe hare]], with the mountain cottontail generally occupying lower elevations in the same region. It is a target of [[rabbiting]] and is seasonally protected by hunting authorities as [[Game (hunting)|game]]. The mountain cottontail also has many predators and is affected by various [[Parasitism|parasites]] and diseases such as [[tularemia]] and [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]]. Across its entire range, the species is assessed as "[[Least-concern species|least concern]]" by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN), but province- and state-specific conservation assessments vary, with [[Arizona]] and [[British Columbia]] marking it as "vulnerable".

== Taxonomy ==
[[File:Lepus nutallii Bachmann 1837.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Black and white illustration of a rabbit in profile|Maria Martin's illustration of the mountain cottontail from its first description]]
''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' was first described by [[John Bachman]] in 1837 as ''Lepus nuttallii'', "Nuttall's Little Hare". It was named after the [[England|English]] botanist and zoologist [[Thomas Nuttall]], who collected the [[type specimen]]. Its [[type locality (biology)|type locality]] was originally noted as "west of the Rocky Mountains [...by] streams which flow into the [[Shoshone River|Shoshonee]] and [[Columbia River]]s".<ref name="Bachman-1837-3458" /> Naturalist [[Edward William Nelson]] clarified this locality in 1909 to be "eastern Oregon, near mouth of [[Malheur River]]", and the later naturalist [[Vernon Orlando Bailey]] described it in 1936 as "near [[Vale, Oregon|Vale]]".<ref name="Hoffmann-210" /> Being the smallest of the known "true hares" at the time, it was noted by Bachman as bearing resemblance to the [[American pika]],<ref name="Bachman-1837-345" /> then known as a member of the [[hare]]s with the [[scientific name]] ''Lepus (Lagomys) princeps''.<ref name="Richardson-1829" /> The description was provided in an illustrated overview of the hares then known to inhabit the United States and Canada; the illustrations were provided by painter and scientific illustrator [[Maria Martin]], Bachman's sister-in-law.<ref name="Bachman-1837" /> The mountain cottontail was first placed in the genus ''[[Sylvilagus]]'' by [[Marcus Ward Lyon Jr.]] in 1904, who used a method based on skeletal characteristics to classify the known [[lagomorph]]s (then known as members of order Duplicidentata).<ref name="Lyon-1904" />

Based on nuclear and mitochondrial gene analysis, it is estimated to have first emerged roughly {{Ma|5}}, in the early [[Pliocene]].<ref name="Iraçabal-2024" /> [[Fossil]]s of the species dating back 35,000{{Spaces}}years have been found in caves in [[Utah]] and [[Texas]].<ref name="Beever-2018" />

The mountain cottontail has 3 [[subspecies]]:<ref name="Hoffmann-210" />
* ''S. n. nuttallii'' <small>(Bachman, 1837)</small>: [[Nominate subspecies]]; [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonymous]] with ''Lepus artemesia'' <small>(Bachman, 1839)</small><ref name="Hoffmann-210n" /> and ''S. grangeri'' <small>Lyon, 1904</small>.<ref name="Chapman-1975" /> Range extends along the western part of the [[species distribution]] from northern [[California]] to [[British Columbia]].<ref name="Beever-2018" />
* ''S. n. grangeri'' <small>([[Joel Asaph Allen|J. Allen]], 1895)</small>: synonymous with ''S. n. perplicatus'' <small>Elliott, 1904</small>.<ref name="Hoffmann-210g" /> Type locality of [[Hill City, South Dakota]].<ref name="Chapman-1975" /> Range extends from northern [[Arizona]] to the Canadian provinces of [[Alberta]] and [[Saskatchewan]].<ref name="Beever-2018" />
* ''S. n. pinetis'' <small>(J. Allen, 1894):</small><ref name="Hoffmann-210p" /> Type locality within the [[White Mountains (Arizona)|White Mountains]] south of [[Mount Ord (Arizona)|Mount Ord]].<ref name="Chapman-1975" /> The southernmost of the mountain cottontail subspecies, its range extends from northeastern Arizona to [[Colorado]].<ref name="Beever-2018" />

Each subspecies may constitute a separate species.<ref name="IUCN status" /> However, this separation was only based on a study of dental characteristics; further studies on genetic and morphological traits have not been completed to make more definitive recommendations.<ref name="Beever-2018" /> The mountain cottontail's [[ploidy|diploid chromosome number]] is 42,<ref name="Beever-2018" /> a number shared by some but not all members of the genus ''[[Sylvilagus]]''.<ref name="Robinson-2008a" /><ref name="Robinson-2008b" /> The species is most closely related to the [[desert cottontail]] (''Sylvilagus audubonii''), with which it forms a [[clade]].<ref name="Halanych-1997" /> Its next closest genetic relatives are the [[swamp rabbit]] (''S. aquaticus'') and [[marsh rabbit]] (''S. palustris'').<ref name="Iraçabal-2024" />

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Sylvilagus nuttallii - Karen Guin - 404783029.jpeg|thumb|left|alt=Photo of the back of a rabbit in the process of turning around|A mountain cottontail in [[Denver]], Colorado. From the back, the colorations of the back of the head and legs are visible.]]
''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' is a medium to small-sized rabbit, with a head and body length of {{cvt|29|to|39|cm|sp=us|order=flip}}, though among cottontail rabbits it is relatively large. The hind legs are long; the feet are densely covered with long hair and measure from {{cvt|80|to|103|mm|sp=us|order=flip}}. The ears are relatively short ({{cvt|54|-|100|mm|sp=us|order=flip}}) and have rounded tips; the insides are densely furred.<ref name="Chapman-1975" /> The tail, dark on top and white underneath, measures from {{cvt|3|to|6|cm|sp=us|order=flip}}. It has pale brown fur on the back, black-tipped ears, a white-grey tail, and a white underside. The back of the head is an orange color, and the legs appear rusty on the outside.<ref name="Beever-2018" /> It has a distinctive cinnamon-colored ring around the eyes.<ref name="Álvarez-Castañeda-2024" /> Its whiskers can be either totally or partially white.<ref name="Twycrosszoo" /> Like other [[leporid]]s, the mountain cottontail has a [[dental formula]] of {{DentalFormula|upper=2.0.3.3|lower=1.0.2.3|total=28}}—two pairs of upper and one pair of lower [[incisor]]s, no [[Canine tooth|canines]], three upper and two lower [[premolar]]s, and three upper and lower [[Molar (tooth)|molars]] on either side of the jaw.<ref name="Álvarez-Castañeda-2024" />

The mountain cottontail can be distinguished from other rabbits that share the same habitat by its size and ear shape. It is larger than the [[pygmy rabbit]] (''S. idahoensis''), smaller than the [[eastern cottontail]] (''S. floridanus''), and has shorter, more rounded, and more densely haired ears than the desert cottontail.<ref name="Álvarez-Castañeda-2024" /> The [[snowshoe hare]] occurs in many of the same geographic regions as the mountain cottontail, but has a gray fur coat that changes to entirely white in autumn and winter. Additionally, contrasting with the snowshoe hare's long hops, the mountain cottontail takes distinctively short leaps. In examining the tracks left by both species in snow, those of the snowshoe hare are much larger, with a splayed shape. Unlike the snowshoe hare, the mountain cottontail's fur coat does not change with the seasons for [[camouflage]].<ref name="Frey-2006" />

== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File:Mountain Cottontail on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (32591127506).jpg|thumb|alt=Photo of a cottontail rabbit in a snowy environment|Mountain cottontail in winter. Its fur coat does not change color for [[camouflage]] to suit the changing seasons, and thus it must seek out areas with grassy cover for shelter.<ref name="NCC" />]]
''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' is distributed throughout the Western United States and parts of Canada. It appears from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, just north of the United States-Canada border, to the northern parts of [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]]. Laterally, it is known from the foothills of the eastern slopes of the [[Rocky Mountains]] and west to the eastern slopes of the [[Cascade Mountains|Cascade]]-[[Sierra Nevada]]. In southwestern [[North Dakota]], it was once prevalent, but has since been largely replaced by the eastern cottontail.<ref name="Chapman-1975" /><ref name="IUCN status" /> It was once found as far south as Texas, but changing habitat due to [[climate change]] has resulted in the species being pushed back; in these regions, the desert cottontail and [[robust cottontail]] (''S. holzneri robustus'') are more prevalent.<ref name="Beever-2018" /> The three subspecies of mountain cottontail tend to remain separated in geographical terms.<ref name="French-2020" />

The mountain cottontail has a fairly [[cosmopolitan distribution]], appearing at varying elevations and in regions with different vegetation. It occurs in [[coniferous forest]]s, including the [[subalpine zone]],<ref name="Frey-2006" /> living among rocky areas among [[sagebrush]], in [[shrubland]]s, or in wooded areas. It is more associated with sagebrush in the northern part of its distribution, and more with forests in the south. Occupying habitats elevated above those of lowland [[leporid]]s, but below most [[Pika|pikas]] and the [[snowshoe hare]] (''Lepus americanus''), its preferred elevation varies based on location: in California, it occurs from {{cvt|1190|to|3450|m|sp=us|order=flip}}; in Nevada, from {{cvt|1190|to|3170|m|sp=us|order=flip}}; in Colorado, from {{cvt|1830|to|3500|m|sp=us|order=flip}}; in Oregon, from {{cvt|180|to|1675|m|sp=us|order=flip}}; and in Arizona, above {{cvt|2300|m|sp=us|order=flip}}. It is particularly abundant within the [[Hanford Site]],<ref name="Beever-2018" /> a decommissioned nuclear production complex in Washington where it is among the animals that are monitored for [[caesium-137]] and [[strontium-90]] contamination.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rickard |first=William H. |last2=Poole |first2=Linda D. |date=1989 |title=Terrestrial Wildlife of the Hanford Site: Past and Future |url=https://rex.libraries.wsu.edu/esploro/fulltext/journalArticle/Terrestrial-Wildlife-of-the-Hanford-Site/99900502505401842?repId=12332807860001842&mId=13333046770001842&institution=01ALLIANCE_WSU |journal=Northwest Science |volume=63 |issue=4 |pages=183-193}}</ref>

== Behavior and ecology ==
[[File:Sylvilagus nuttallii - John Krampl - 185055918.jpeg|thumb|left|alt=Photo of a rabbit with its hind leg lifted and toes splayed|A mountain cottontail in the process of [[Personal grooming#In animals|grooming]]]]
''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' is not a social species and tends to live a solitary life. However, congregations do occur on popular feeding grounds. The majority of feeding occurs at dusk and dawn in clearings near cover or in brush. The mountain cottontail is also known to climb juniper trees to feed, and spends approximately half of its waking hours feeding. The most common social behavior seen is during reproductive actions or courting. It is not territorial. Males typically have a larger home range than females.<ref name="Twycrosszoo" /> When there is plenty of cover from dense vegetation, the mountain cottontail rests in shallow depressions or nests in the ground known as forms for shelter. When vegetation is sparse, it will use the [[burrow]]s of other animals for shelter instead. It does not seem to dig burrows of its own.<ref name="Beever-2018" />

The rabbits remain active all year. When startled, a rabbit will run a couple meters then hide and freeze with ears erect; if further pursued the rabbit will hop away in a semicircular path to try and trick the predator. Predators include [[coyotes]], [[bobcats]], [[Canada lynx|lynxes]], [[American marten|martens]], crows, ravens, hawks, owls, and [[rattlesnake]]s.<ref name="Dohring" /><ref name="Verts-1991" /> Though it has been replaced in some regions by the eastern and desert cottontail,<ref name="IUCN status" /> it is largely [[sympatry|sympatric]] with the widely distributed [[snowshoe hare]] (''Lepus americanus'')<ref name="Frey-2006" /> and the [[Northern Idaho ground squirrel]].<ref name="Allison-2022" /> Several [[parasite]]s are known to affect the mountain cottontail, including [[nematode]]s, [[cestode]]s, and species of [[Coccidia]].<ref name="Beever-2018" /> It is affected by the [[tularemia]]-causing bacterium ''[[Francisella tularensis]]'',<ref name="Kudryavtseva-2022" /><ref name="USGS2020" /> as well as ''[[Rickettsia rickettsii]]'', which causes [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]].<ref name="Huarrisson-2014" /> Notably, it is susceptible to [[rabbit hemorrhagic disease|rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2]], which primarily affects the [[European rabbit]] (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') and some [[hare]] species (''Lepus'' spp.).<ref name="Lankton-2021" />

=== Diet ===
[[File:Sylvilagus nuttallii - Cheryl McCleary-Catalano - 46219771.jpeg|left|thumb|alt=A photo of a rabbit eating plants with its head raised|Feeding on grasses]]
The diet of the mountain cottontail is primarily made up of [[sagebrush]] and varies toward [[Poaceae|grasses]] during the spring and summer seasons.<ref name="Ratz" /> During these seasons, preferred grasses include wheatgrasses in the genus ''[[Agropyron]]'', [[Hesperostipa comata|needle-and-thread]], [[Indian ricegrass]], [[drooping brome|cheatgrass brome]], [[Poa|bluegrass]]es, and [[Elymus elymoides|bottlebrush squirreltail]].<ref name="Johnson-1979" /> Dependent on the area, the rabbit's diet may include shrubs such as [[Artemisia tridentata|big sagebrush]], [[rabbitbrush]], and [[Atriplex|saltbush]]es. Juniper is also a common food source for the mountain cottontail.<ref name="Ratz" /> It is also known to feed on [[Fungus|fungi]], including [[truffle]]s,<ref name="Urban-2016" /> but not as often as does the [[black-tailed jackrabbit]] (''Lepus californicus'').<ref name="Maser-1988" /> As food sources becomes more limited in the winter months, the diet may turn to more [[wood]]y plant parts such as [[Bark (botany)|bark]] and [[twig]]s. The mountain cottontail, like other lagomorphs, consumes soft droppings that come directly from the anus in a process known as [[cecotrophy]] to supplement its nutritional intake.<ref name="Twycrosszoo" /> It is seen more often in sites [[grazed]] by [[horse]]s than those where horses have been removed, a behavior not often seen in similar, [[granivore|seed-eating]] species.<ref name="Beever-2018" />

=== Reproduction ===
[[File:Sylvilagus nuttallii juvenile - Vanessa Johnson - 20378535.jpeg|thumb|alt=Photo of a small cottontail rabbit among grasses|A juvenile mountain cottontail in [[Lethbridge]], Alberta, Canada]]
The mountain cottontail's nest is a shallow cavity in the ground lined with rabbit fur and dried grass. The female covers the top of the nest with grass, fur, and sticks.<ref name="Orr" /> Ratios between the sexes varies based on location; on average, the fetal sex ratio is 1 male to 1.05 females, but in Oregon it was measured at 1 male to 1.18 females.<ref name="Chapman-1975" /> Depending on location, the breeding season will vary during the spring and summer seasons, through February to July, and possibly occurs later in warmer climates.<ref name="Ratz" /> Gestation lasts 29 days on average in the mountain cottontail, and results in a litter of 3 to 4 young; 3.5 litters are produced annually on average within the 4-month breeding season. It reaches sexual maturity at roughly 3 months old.<ref name="Heldstab-2021" /> The number of litters and young produced varies by location; in California and Nevada, the average litter size is around 6.1, 4.7 for rabbits in Washington and Oregon, and 2.0 for those in British Columbia.<ref name="Chapman-1975" /> The young are [[altricial]]—born helpless and blind—and have a weaning period of one month.<ref name="Beever-2018" />

== Status and conservation ==
Aside from predators, parasites and diseases, ''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' is threatened by competition from hares and other rabbits,<ref name="IUCN status" /> [[climate change]], and [[habitat fragmentation]]. It is commonly hunted for sport, as well as for food. Displacement in North Dakota by the eastern cottontail has led to the mountain cottontail being considered as "presumed [[extirpated|locally extinct]]" within the state. Its habitat within Canada is threatened by agricultural and human settlement expansion.<ref name="Beever-2018" />

''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' is considered by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) to be a [[least-concern species]], though it notes that the overall population of it and several other members of ''Sylvilagus'' appears to be decreasing. As [[game (hunting)|game]], it is seasonally protected by state wildlife agencies, and the species is being monitored.<ref name="IUCN status" /> As individually monitored by each state, its [[NatureServe conservation status]] varies: in Arizona and British Columbia, it is considered "vulnerable"; in New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan it is "apparently secure", and it is "secure" across the rest of its range. The species occurs in several [[protected area]]s. Given the species' wide distribution, it may have the ability to survive drastic changes in its environment. However, should the species be divided into three along subspecies lines, the resulting clades will be more constrained and less genetically diverse, and may have greater need for conservation measures.<ref name="Beever-2018" />

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="NCC">{{Cite web|url=https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/mammals/nuttalls-cottontail.html |website=[[Nature Conservancy of Canada]] |title=Nuttall's cottontail |access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="IUCN status">{{cite iucn |author=Smith, A.T. |author2=Brown, D.E. |date=2019 |title=''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' |volume=2019 |page=e.T41300A45192243 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41300A45192243.en |access-date=16 November 2021}}</ref>

<ref name="Mammaldiversity">{{Cite web|url=https://www.mammaldiversity.org/taxon/1001138/ |title=''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' |date=2025 |website=Mammal Diversity Database |publisher=[[American Society of Mammalogists]] |access-date=17 March 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Richardson-1829">{{cite book |last1=Richardson |first1=John |author1-link=John Richardson (naturalist) |title=Fauna boreali-americana |date=1829 |publisher=J. Murray |location=London |url=https://archive.org/stream/faunaborealiamer01rich#page/n323/mode/2up/search/princeps |access-date=17 March 2025 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

<ref name="Bachman-1837">{{Harvnb|Bachman|1837}}</ref>

<ref name="Lyon-1904">{{Cite journal |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23223/SMC_45_Lyon_1903_28_321-463.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |pages=336–389 |last=Lyon |first=Marcus Ward, Jr. |authorlink=Marcus Ward Lyon Jr. |date=1904 |title=Classification of the hares and their allies |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |volume=45 |issue=28 }}</ref>

<ref name="Iraçabal-2024">{{Cite journal |last1=Iraçabal |first1=Leandro |last2=Barbosa |first2=Matheus R. |last3=Selvatti |first3=Alexandre Pedro |last4=Russo |first4=Claudia Augusta de Moraes |date=2024 |title=Molecular time estimates for the Lagomorpha diversification |journal=[[PLOS One]] |volume=19 |issue=9 |pages=e0307380 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0307380 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=11379240 |pmid=39241029}}</ref>

<ref name="Álvarez-Castañeda-2024">{{Citation |last=Álvarez-Castañeda |first=Sergio Ticul |title=Order Lagomorpha |date=2024 |work=Mammals of North America - Volume 1 |page=549 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-41661-3_8 |access-date=2025-02-24 |place=Cham |publisher=[[Springer Nature Switzerland]] |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-41661-3_8 |isbn=978-3-031-41660-6|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name="Chapman-1975">{{Cite journal |last=Chapman |first=Joseph A. |author1-link=Joseph A. Chapman |date=1975-11-21 |title=''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' |journal=[[Mammalian Species]] |issue=56 |pages=1–3 |doi=10.2307/3503902 |issn=0076-3519 |jstor=3503902 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name="Frey-2006">{{Cite journal|last1=Frey|first1=Jennifer K.|last2=Malaney|first2=Jason L.|title=Snowshoe Hare (''Lepus americanus'') and mountain cottontail (''Sylvilagus nuttallii'') biogeography at their southern range limit |date=December 2006|journal=[[Journal of Mammalogy]]|volume=87|issue=6|pages=1175–1182|doi=10.1644/05-mamm-a-374r2.1|s2cid=37225575 |issn=0022-2372|doi-access=free}}</ref>

<ref name="Beever-2018">{{Lagomorphs2018|first1=Erik A.|last1=Beever|chapter=''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' (Bachman, 1837) Mountain cottontail|first2=Johnnie|last2=French|pages=147-149}}</ref>

<ref name="Ratz">{{Cite web|last=Ratz|first=David |title=Mountain cottontail — ''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' |website=Montana Field Guide |publisher=Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks |url=https://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AMAEB01060|access-date=2021-11-04|language=en}}</ref>

<ref name="Twycrosszoo">{{Cite web |first=Kathryn |last=Pintus |title=''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' - Mountain cottontail (Species). (n.d.). |url=http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MLagomorph/Leporidae/Sylvilagus/Sylvilagus_nuttallii.htm |website=Wildpro |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501092944/http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MLagomorph/Leporidae/Sylvilagus/Sylvilagus_nuttallii.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2018 |publisher=[[Twycross Zoo]] |access-date=17 March 2025}}</ref>

<ref name="Bachman-1837-345">{{Harvnb|Bachman|1837|p=345}}</ref>

<ref name="Hoffmann-210">{{MSW3 Lagomorpha|page=210|id=13500352|heading=''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) nuttallii''}}</ref>

<ref name="Hoffmann-210n">{{MSW3 Lagomorpha|page=210|id=13500353|heading=''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) nuttallii nuttallii''}}</ref>

<ref name="Hoffmann-210g">{{MSW3 Lagomorpha|page=210|id=13500354|heading=''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) nuttallii grangeri''}}</ref>

<ref name="Hoffmann-210p">{{MSW3 Lagomorpha|page=210|id=13500355|heading=''Sylvilagus (Sylvilagus) nuttallii pinetis''}}</ref>

<ref name="French-2020">{{Cite thesis|last=French|first=Johnnie|date=2020-07-16|title=Biogeography, morphology, and systematics of the mountain cottontail, ''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' (Bachman, 1837), Mammalia: Lagomorpha: Leporidae|url=https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/5522|doi=10.15760/etd.7396 |degree=Masters in Biology |publisher=[[Portland State University]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

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</references>

=== Sources ===
* {{Cite journal |last=Bachman |first=John |year=1837 |title=Observations, on the different species of Hares (genus ''Lepus'') inhabiting the United States and Canada |journal=Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=282–361 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/281530 |via=[[Biodiversity Heritage Library]]}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Sylvilagus nuttallii}}

{{Portal|Mammals}}
{{Lagomorpha|L.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q129773}}
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[[Category:Sylvilagus]]
[[Category:Mammals of the United States]]
[[Category:Mammals of Canada]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Great Basin]]
[[Category:Fauna of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:Least concern biota of the United States]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1837]]
[[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Bachman]]