In the middle of the night I occasionally notice a dark figure in my yard, hunkered over as if in prayer, lurking just beneath the bird feeder… chewing. If it notices me, moving inside the house, it will quickly disappear into nearby shrubbery. Cottontail rabbits tend to be predictable and timid, confining their feeding forays to limited territory in which they find shelter as well as food, preferring to feed under cover of darkness, undetected.

But it’s March, and madness muddles the moods of more than just basketball fans. Cottontails, which are normally subtle and blend quietly in with their surroundings, morph into wild and crazy critters. They appear to lay down the melancholy burden of sanity. They dance, they fight, they jump up and down, they run in circles, and tear at each other’s fur. These mating behaviors are initiated by hormones and can persist through the summer, as males vie for the attention of receptive females.

Cottontail males are called bucks, females are does and young are referred to as kittens, or kits. Historically rabbit referred to kits, while adults were called coneys. Groups of rabbits are referred to as herds. They prefer edgy habitats, shrubby landscapes that are sort of woodsy, and sort of meadowy at the same time. This describes our urban environment, and explains why so many rabbits love to share our yards with us.

There is a common misconception that rabbits and hares are rodents. Actually neither is. They are classified as lagomorphs, of which there are two families: rabbits and hares (Leporidae); and pikas (Ochotonidae). Lagomorphs have four incisors in the upper jaw, unlike rodents, which have only two. Like rodents, their teeth grow throughout their life, necessitating constant chewing to keep them from getting too long. Also they are vegetarian, unlike rodents which have a more varied diet.

Rabbits and hares are often thought of as terms for the same critters, but they differ in several ways. Hares have much longer ears. Rabbits (with the exception of our common cottontails) burrow in communal dens called warrens. Hares are not burrowers. Newborn rabbits are hairless and blind. Newborn hares have fur and their eyes open at birth.

Part of the confusion has to do with common names. Jackrabbits are actually hares that live throughout the western half of the U.S. They are preyed upon by several predators, and hence have developed into powerful jumpers, capable of leaping 15 to 20 feet in a single bound, and can reach a speed of 40 miles per hour. They require little water and feed on a wide variety of plant materials from bark to foliage to buds.

Cottontails are true rabbits and are found throughout the U.S. At the nature center, people would occasionally call to report “orphan” baby cottontail rabbits. This is due to their nesting habits. They build shallow nests lined with fur. The babies are left throughout the day… and are visited by the mother and nursed only a couple times each day so as not to give away the nest location. These young cottontails will spend about two weeks on the nest before venturing forth. They are quite vulnerable at this time and are occasionally discovered and eaten by opossum, raccoon, skunk, dogs and cats, foxes, snakes, hawks, and weasels… or discovered and “kidnapped” by well-meaning humans who may assume incorrectly that they are orphans. If you happen upon a nest of baby rabbits, my advice is to simply leave them alone and avoid the area. The mother will most likely return to feed them in the evening.

Mating is promiscuous. Males will mate with several females. A female rabbit can have from one to seven litters in a single year. The number of litters averages three or four per year with an average of five kits per litter. A female can have 20 offspring in a year, but it could be as many as 35. Survival is usually around 20 percent. The average cottontail rabbit lives for about three years in the wild. But they can reproduce by one year of age, so the potential for population explosion is huge.

“Fortunately” numerous predators have a taste for adult cottontail rabbit. Coyotes, great horned owls, and hawks, for example. Plus they are popular prey of human hunters as well. It is predation that has influenced their behavior when startled. They are very wary, and will run in a zig zag pattern, attaining speeds of about 18 miles per hour. Their best protection is to get under familiar shrubbery where they can avoid becoming someone’s dinner.

Cottontails are mostly nocturnal and besides birdseed, they love to munch on clover, grasses, twigs and buds, and unfortunately on garden plants such as lettuce, beans, and peas. This doesn’t exactly endear them to gardeners. In winter they also feed on tree bark, which might not endear them to homeowners either.

Not just pets, Rabbits are often raised for meat and fur. China produces more rabbits for meat than anywhere else in the world. Rabbit meat is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than chicken, pork or beef. Rabbit fur is used in winter clothing for warmth and for fashion.

This is a very special time of year for rabbits, for reasons other than just the start of mating season. There will soon be an abundance of chocolate bunnies in stores, along with chocolate eggs, since Easter occurs in March. It may seem like a sort of March madness that bunnies are associated with eggs, and that both are somehow connected with an important springtime religious celebration. But what they have in common is… fertility? Rabbits may not lay eggs, but both symbolize reproductive success. As for the Easter connection, this is a time of symbolism when the dormancy of winter gives way to the resurrection of life and optimism for a new growing season.

“The spirit of Easter is all about Hope, love, and joyful living.” Anonymous