We usually think of rabbits as being rodents because their teeth continue to grow, like those of a mouse or a squirrel. They are actually lagomorphs, a word derived from the Greek meaning “hare.” The difference is that lagomorphs have an additional pair of small incisors (cutting teeth) behind the large upper incisors. Rodents have only the single upper pair. The majority of rodents have long tails, lagomorphs have short, cottony tails.
There are two kinds of rabbits and one hare in Oklahoma. The rabbits are the eastern cottontail rabbits and the swamp rabbits. The swamp rabbit is slightly larger and darker than the cottontail rabbit. The hare is the black-tailed jackrabbit. We have seen all three at our place.
Rabbits are born without fur and their eyes are closed. The gestation period for the cottontail rabbit is 27 days. Hares are born fully developed with fur and open eyes. The gestation period for the black-tailed jackrabbit is 42 days. The longer gestation period allows the baby hare to be more developed.
Hares are larger than rabbits and have longer ears and longer hind legs. Hares tend to live alone or in pairs in above-ground nests. Rabbits live in groups in underground tunnels called warrens.
Rabbits are common on our property, and we see them daily. We saw the jackrabbit only once, shortly after we moved here 26 years ago. It probably wandered over from the large cattle ranch that was just east of us. A housing development replaced the portion of the ranch nearest us, so I doubt we’ll ever see a jackrabbit again.
