Desert Cottontail Rabbit-Sylvilagus audubonii
There are several different species of Cottontails, but the rabbits seen at the Dam site are the Desert Cottontail which is mostly grey with a bit of tan fur on their legs and around the neck/back. They all have a cute little cotton ball tail, which is where they get their name. Typical habitats include grassy fields and meadows, so the dam site in Spring is a perfect place for them to forage for grasses and other young plants. In the winter they eat twigs, bark and whatever green plants might be available to them. Our usual mild winters make the grassy dam site a perfect habitat for the rabbits.
Cottontails can fall prey to man, coyotes, cougars, foxes, hawks, owls, badgers, and other birds of prey.
