We're looking for New England cottontails





Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife





*mefishwildlife.com*






We are looking for New England cottontail populations in southern and coastal Maine

NEC
If you see a rabbit that might be a New England cottontail (NEC), please take note of the following:

* Date
* Time
* Location
* Town
* What habitat the rabbit was in (shrubs, forest, backyard, etc.)
* Characteristics of what led you to believe it was a cottontail (please do not report known snowshoe hares) - "find what to look for below!"
* *If you can grab a photo, even better!*

And share it with us at mefishwildlife.com/rabbits [ [link removed] ]

Your report will hopefully help us detect currently unknown NEC populations. Click the link below to learn how to identify NEC and about our ongoing restoration efforts.



*Report a Rabbit* [ [link removed] ]

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New England cottontail
New England cottontail

Medium-sized rabbits

14-17 inches long

1-2.5 pounds

Dark brown fur with a wash of black-tipped fur

Black edge to their ears

Black spot between the ears (typically not seen at a distance)




Eastern cottontail
Eastern cottontail

Very similar to NEC, a white spot on the forehead (which NEC never have)




Snowshoe hare
snowshoe hare photo by Paul Cyr

Photo by Paul Cyr

Larger than cottontails

2.5-4 pounds

Longer feet and ears than NEC

White in the winter, brown fur the rest of the year

White edge to the ears

Hare leverets (young born that year) also have more of a grizzled appearance. May have a white spot on forehead similar to Eastern cottontail






*Learn More* [ [link removed] ]

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