Mountain Cottontail
Mountain CottontailMountain CottontailMountain CottontailMountain Cottontail

Mountain Cottontail

Sylvilagus nuttallii

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Yellowstone National Park
54 Verified records at Yellowstone National Park
November Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

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 Yellowstone National Park, based on 54 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Yellowstone National Park

Snowshoe Hare
LC

Snowshoe Hare

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Lepus americanus

10–20% · With luck
White-tailed Jackrabbit
LC

White-tailed Jackrabbit

🌅 Crepuscular Mammal

Lepus townsendii

5–10% · With luck
American Pika
LC

American Pika

☀️ Diurnal Mammal

Ochotona princeps

10–20% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

20–30
Jan
20–30
Feb
20–30
Mar
10–20
Apr
10–20
May
10–20
Jun
10–20
Jul
10–20
Aug
5–10
Sep
10–20
Oct
30–40
Nov
<5
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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
10–20%
2 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
3 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
5 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
6 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
7 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
8 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Mountain Cottontail in Yellowstone National Park?

About 13% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Cottontail sighting in Yellowstone National Park, based on 54 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Mountain Cottontail in Yellowstone National Park?

November has the highest sighting rate for Mountain Cottontail in Yellowstone National Park in our monthly data.

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