WINSTON WEEKLY^[1]

May 31, 2026

Vol. 4, No. 22

JUMPING JACKRABBITS[2]

Although their name suggests otherwise, jackrabbits are hares, not rabbits. Their ability to run up to 35 miles per hour and leap up to fifteen feet in a single bound is remarkable. Born fully furred except for their ears, they can grow to nearly two feet in length. Their large ears, sometimes as long as eight inches, allow them to hear predators and serve as a cooling mechanism. With a hearty appetite of up to a pound of food per day, they can quickly eat through crops.

Black-tailed jackrabbits are common in the national parks. With a preference for open habitats, they do not burrow in the same manner as rabbits, preferring to take cover under sagebrush or logs, or in deep depressions. White-tailed jackrabbits are also plentiful, with habitats in the upper Midwest, the northwestern United States, and Canadian prairies.

The largest jackrabbit in the western hemisphere is the striking antelope jackrabbit, with a white rump like antelope. Sometimes confused with the lore of the jackalope, antelope jackrabbits are the real thing. Common in Arizona’s southern deserts and parts of Mexico and New Mexico, their primary water source is cacti and other plants. With an innate ability to dodge predators, they can travel up to 40 miles per hour. Typically solitary, their southern Arizona habitats are threatened by non-native grasses, livestock, and humans.

WEEKLY ACTIVITY

Whether you are interested in learning more about jackalope lore or rabbits and jackrabbits, there are a few options to get you started. With fun art and humor, Jackalope by Janet Stevenson and Susan Stevens Crummel provides a lighter take on the myth. On the Trail of the Jackalope published in 2023, author Michael P. Branch explores the culture of the American West and how the myth became a breakthrough for advances in anti-viral cancer therapies. Tom Jackson’s 2024 book, Rabbits: From Hares and Jackrabbits to Adorable Pets, is a wonderful pictorial guide to rabbits and hares.

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[1] A weekly blog/newsletter by Alysen Bayles to be shared with the appropriate attribute.

[2]Resources: Black-tailed and Antelope Jackrabbit, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, www.desertmuseum.org; National Park Service, www.nps.gov; Patrick Perish, Antelope Jackrabbits, Aug. 1, 2020, Bellwether Media.