Eastern cottontail: Difference between revisions

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== Range and habitat ==

[[File:Eastern Cottontail rabbit, Rideau River.jpg|thumb|alt=A brown rabbit sitting in snow|Eastern cottontail in winter coat, [[Ottawa]], Ontario, Canada]]

The eastern cottontail inhabits meadows, shrubby areas, and edge habitats throughout the eastern and south-central [[United States]], southern [[Canada]], eastern [[Mexico]], [[Central America]], and northernmost [[South America]]. It is also present on [[Margarita Island]] in the [[Caribbean]]. The species is especially abundant across the Midwest of North America, and its range expanded northward as forests were cleared by settlers.<ref name=r27>Godin, Alfred J. (1977). ''Wild mammals of New England''. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref> Originally absent from [[New England]], it has since been introduced there, where it now competes with the native [[New England cottontail]] (''Sylvilagus transitionalis''). It has also been introduced to parts of [[Oregon]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and [[British Columbia]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Reid|first=Fiona|title=A Field Guide to Mammals of North America|year=2006|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|___location=New York, New York}}</ref> In the 1950s and 1960s, the species was introduced to [[France]] and northern [[Italy]], where it underwent rapid territorial expansion and population growth.<ref name="Godin1977">{{cite journal|url=book http://biocenosi.dipbsf.uninsubria.it/atit/PDF/Volume11(2)/11(2)_9.pdf|author1last=Godin Silvano, Fabrizio|author2first=Alfred Acquarone,J. Camilla|author3= Cucco, Marco|year= 2000|title=Wild Distributionmammals of theNew easternEngland cottontail|publisher=The ''SylvilagusJohns floridanus''Hopkins inUniversity thePress province of Alessandria|journalyear=1977 Hystrix|volumeisbn= 11|pages= 75–78|access978-date=0801802148 2010-01-13|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204346/http://biocenosi.dipbsf.uninsubria.it/atit/PDF/Volume11(2)/11(2)_9.pdf|archive-date= 2013-10-29|url-status___location=Baltimore, deadMD}}</ref>

Populations in the mountainous regions of the [[southwestern United States]] and western [[Mexico]] are now considered a separate species, the [[robust cottontail]] (''S. holzneri'').<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Diersing|first1=Victor E.|last2=Wilson|first2=Don E.|date=June 2021|title=Systematics of the mountain-inhabiting cottontails (''Sylvilagus'') from southwestern United States and northern Mexico (Mammalia: Lagomorpha: Leporidae)|journal=Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington|volume=134|issue=1|pages=42–79|doi=10.2988/006-324X-134.1.42 |s2cid=236295647 }}</ref>