Mountain Cottontail
Sylvilagus nuttallii
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderLagomorpha (Lagomorphs)
- FamilyLeporidae (Conills i Llebres)
- GenusSylvilagus (Cottontail Rabbits)
- SpeciesSylvilagus nuttallii (Mountain Cottontail)
The mountain cottontail or Nuttall's cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii) is a species of rabbit found in western Canada and the United States. It is a medium- to small-sized rabbit with pale brown fur, white undersides, a two-colored tail, and black-tipped, rounded ears with densely furred insides. It has notably rusty-colored legs and an orange nape. The mountain cottontail appears largely among coniferous forests in mountainous regions, including the slopes of the Rocky Mountains and the Cascade-Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, and adapts to a variety of elevations and vegetation. Its diet is made up of various grasses, shrubs, and sagebrush, as well as twigs, bark, or fungi in lesser amounts or when foliage is scarce. The mountain cottontail was first described in 1837 by naturalist John Bachman and named Lepus nuttallii; the specific name commemorates zoologist Thomas Nuttall. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Cottontail sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park, based on 94 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Rocky Mountain National Park
📅 Monthly Probability
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Badlands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Mountain Cottontail in Rocky Mountain National Park?
About 19% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Cottontail sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park, based on 94 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Mountain Cottontail in Rocky Mountain National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Mountain Cottontail in Rocky Mountain National Park in our monthly data.