Posts tagged ‘bunny’

Hippity-Hoppity…

In honor of the upcoming Easter holiday, an Everglades bunny for you!

True to its name, the marsh rabbit is found in the marshes and swamps of the Eastern and Southern United States. Our marsh rabbits — not to be confused with the larger swamp rabbits of Alabama through Texas — are delicate little things. Those on the Florida peninsula, and in South Florida in particular, weigh only 2-3 pounds, reaching a total length of 17 inches. “Mainland” (non-Florida) marsh rabbits run noticeably larger.

Florida’s marsh rabbits have shorter ears, and smaller legs than the swamp rabbits and cottontails — and instead of a bushy, cottonball-tail, the tail forms a tuft. They’re also darker in coloration than eastern cottontails.

Marsh rabbit on alert in the Florida wetlands

What’s so interesting about our marsh rabbits, as their name signifies, is their proclivity to water — swimming often and well, sometimes for long distances. It’s common to see them in the shallow waters of our wetlands scrounging for food (note the wet legs of the guy above). Another interesting feature of marsh rabbits is that they walk on all fours, like a cat — ensuring easy and swift negotiation of the dense marshes and the surrounding vegetation. Their preferred habitats are the brackish and freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps, and sandy islands. These rabbits must have access to water, remaining on high ground and in the thick vegetation for protection from predators including alligators, snakes, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and birds of prey. They’re most active at dusk and at night, eating the abundant wetland and aquatic plants.

There honestly couldn’t be anything more adorable than a Marsh rabbit baby. Just try.

They’re truly adorable little things…. And the baby marsh rabbits? Cuteness factor through the roof. I like to call them *all* swamp bunnies though, much to the chagrin of uptight naturalists who may be listening in on my insanity. But it’s hard not to envision fae around these critters, helping us occasionally close-minded humans love and appreciate their, and Nature’s beauty, all the more.

Poor Marsh rabbit burr-face