Niche of the Cottontail Rabbit

This species is typically found in groups and are commonly seen on grass. They are often easily frightened and do not do well when humans try to interact or get close to them. They hide in the bushes near these grassy areas so that when they are not going to be bothered by humans they can easily get to their food source. These animals seemed to be reliant on how much grass they could find and they were not present in areas where there was no grass.
The species is known to stay in damp places because the grass grows best under those conditions. I had to wait until right before sunset to see any of these rabbits because they are more common at this time. They hide during the day when predators are more prevalent and come out when things calm down for them and their safety. They are also very hard to spot in that lighting whereas during the middle of the day they are very obvious.
Link to the range map for the Cottontail Rabbit in Orange County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=2738&taxon_id=43096
Key things to include for this organism's niche model is plenty of shelter and coverage from plants as well as plenty of open grassy space. The brush and bushes are what they use to hide and survive so that they do not get hunted by predators so it is key that they have this in their niche. The other factor is the amount of grass because that is what their diet consists of. If they do not have the grass then they cannot survive.

Posted on 19 de fevereiro de 2020, 06:06 AM by mandygjertsen