Marsh rabbit predators in florida1/23/2024 ![]() The Eastern Cottontail has a white venter, and the underside of its tail is white. Understanding if and how the mammalian fauna of southern Florida. 2015), yet marsh rabbits still appear to be highly vulnerable to python predation (McCleery et al. In Georgia, the hunting season for Marsh Rabbits is from mid-November to February. Marsh rabbits have evolutionary history with predators similar to pythons including Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus) (Blair 1936 McCleery et al. The Marsh Rabbit is found throughout the Coastal Plain of Georgia. It also occurs throughout Florida and on the larger Barrier Islands of the Carolinas. The Marsh Rabbit's range is restricted to the Coastal Plain of southern Alabama northeastward to extreme southeastern Virginia. Major predators of Marsh Rabbits include hawks, owls, small carnivores, and the American Alligator. During the day, the Marsh Rabbit remains hidden in a shallow depression, called a "form," dug from the soil beneath dense brush or other vegetation. It eats cane, cattail, rushes, and the leaves and twigs of woody plants. The Marsh Rabbit is nocturnal, foraging at night for food. It is also found on isolated islands in coastal river deltas and sounds. Like the Swamp Rabbit, the Marsh Rabbit inhabits coastal marshes, bottomlands, and swamps. The young rabbits may reach sexual maturity before they are a year old, and many females will breed at this time. A mature female may produce 5 or 6 litters per year. Young remain in the nest until they are weaned. The nest is placed in a shallow depression on the surface of the ground. After a 30 - 37 day gestation, 3-5 young are born in a nest made of dried grasses and lined with the soft under-fur of the female. Breeding occurs year-round but peaks December through June. They are most active at night, dusk and dawn, the same time many of the marsh rabbit's predators owls, foxes, bobcats and alligators are active as well. Like other southeastern rabbits, this species breeds throughout the year. Marsh rabbits eat a variety of plants found in and around wetlands. The ears of the Marsh Rabbit are noticeably shorter than those of the Eastern Cottontail. This helps them strip bark and chew through tough plants.Fur is reddish brown to blackish brown. They have 28 teeth with one pair directly behind the other. ![]() They are herbivores (plant eaters) and might even eat a carrot if they are fortunate enough to find one. ![]() The animals eat a variety of plants such as catbrier vines, rushes, cattails, woody stems, bark, leaves, twigs, and cane. They prefer tidal marshes and wooded flood plains. Marsh rabbits live north to the Virginia coast, southwest to Alabama’s coast and south through Georgia and Florida. You can see how very important this rabbit is to the survival of many animals. If half of those born are female (12), and they each have six litters with four per litter, one can see how their population can quickly multiply exponentially. The key to good rabbit habitat is a mixture of. Six litters times four per litter means 24 born per year per female. Two different species of rabbits are common in Florida including the Eastern cottontail and the marsh rabbit. Females have four young per litter and four to six litters per year. By the 1890s Key West was the largest city in Florida and one of. After birth, the young stay with their mother until weaned. Special references to birds and reptiles as predators will be made in Chapter 3. The female lines the nest with her undercoat. This is the place where the rabbit gains its well-earned reputation as a prolific breeder. The marsh rabbit builds a nest on dry, grassy ground. If not, there will be many other rabbits born to take his place. ![]() ![]() If lucky, he’ll make it to shore and hide in dense brush. He is a good swimmer and does so with just his eyes and nose showing. He might also head for water by running rather than hopping. If a predator appears, the rabbit may thump the ground with his hind foot to warn others of danger. Even so, alligators, snakes, bobcats, and raptors (birds that grasp their prey with talons), all enjoy a rabbit meal. They are generally nocturnal, sleeping during the day and eating at night. Their dark coat provides the camouflage they need to feed in open marshes. Marsh rabbits live at Collier-Seminole State Park, but are difficult to spot. His fur is quite coarse, giving him a rugged appearance. Unlike his cousin the cottontail rabbit, he has a small brown tail and long, visible claws on his hind feet. This handsome fellow has short brown ears, a chestnut topcoat and a white belly. Do you picture long, pink ears and a round cottontail when you think of a rabbit? Easter bunnies look like that, but not the marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris). ![]()
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