Life Span: 1-3 years Description: The adult desert cottontail is light colored, tan to gray, with a yellowish tinge. Comparing Adaptations of two animals--Snowshoe Rabbit and Cottontail Rabbit Animal (Adaptation Cards and answers are attached.) Desert cottontails have a suite of adaptations to aridity. The Desert Cottontail thrives in the Sonoran Desert, testament to its adaptability. Desert plants have two main adaptations: Ability to collect and store water Features that reduce water loss like waxy leaves. Adult desert cottontails are 340-440 mm long (Ingles, 1941) and we concluded that the cottontail we saw was several weeks old. The Eastern cottontail is very good at surviving, but its lifespan is short, 3 years at a maximum, so this helps in keeping population in control.

An adaptation is a physical or behavioral characteristic an organism uses to increase its chances of survival. Page 52 Adapting to Desert Living Activity Procedure 1) Begin this activity with a discussion on adaptation. Eastern cottontail rabbit's adaptations are: big ears sharp sense of smell and hearing can run as fast as 20mph A taste for vegetation The Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus auduboni) is the most abundant and well known of the desert mammals. B. Desert Cottontail Rabbit Desert Bighorn Sheep Who Am I? The female desert cottontail is usually a little larger than the male. The Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus auduboni) is the most abundant and well known of the desert mammals. B. They have a very high reproductive rate (1 to 5 in a litter 26-30 days after mating), a necessity as they are prey for a wide variety of carnivores. Scientific Name: Sylvilagus audubonii Classification: Small game mammal Size: Adults may attain the following dimensions: total length 359-435 mm; tail 39-61 mm; hind foot, 82-101 mm; ear 59-69 mm; weight 900-1375 grams.

Our observation expands the known size of prey of roadrunners and, to our knowledge, this desert cottontail represents the largest documented prey captured by a greater roadrunner. Its continuously growing teeth allow the cottontail rabbit to feed on twigs, barks and other tough food without dulling its teeth during winter when food is scarce. From the Eastern cottontail rabbit adaptations in living style and behavior, one must realize that no matter how small the species, survival is always due to the fittest. Eastern cottontail rabbit's adaptations are: big ears sharp sense of smell and hearing can run as fast as 20mph A taste for vegetation Students write a reflection paragraph on the concepts understood from the activity. Students write a reflection paragraph on the concepts understood from the activity. Creosote Bush is the most abundant plant across much of the southwestern deserts, however, the abundance of noxious chemicals in the leaves makes it unpalatable or even deadly toxic to most herbivores.
- NatureWorks After sorting the Animal Adaptation Cards, debrief with the students the information learned from the activity.