Conn. native rabbits need help to survive
You know what they say about rabbits and reproduction, but Connecticut’s only native rabbit species needs help due to widespread habitat loss and possible competition from imported cousins.
The New England cottontail, which is similar but distinct from the more common eastern cottontail, has been squeezed into less than a fifth of its historic range. Wildlife biologists estimate only about 13,000 remain in New England
and New York state east of the Hudson River.
To help with ongoing research and conservation of the native cottontails, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is hiring seasonal workers. Job duties will include live-trapping rabbits, collecting biological data and transporting animals to a captive breeding facility.
The New England cottontail once ranged over a wide area of the state and region. The more common eastern cottontail was introduced into the region in the late 1800s and early 1900s and has been expanding its range ever since.
Eastern cottontails tend to use open fields, meadows, yards and other grassy areas, while the New England species requires large patches of shrubland or young forest. Throughout the state and region, however, much of that tangled, dense habitat continues to age into mature forest, while commercial and residential development makes other areas unsuitable for New England cottontails.
In 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated the New England cottontail as a candidate for threatened or endangered status due to severe population decline and widespread habitat loss since the 1960s. DEEP has been conducting research on New England and eastern cottontails since 2000. Studies have focused on the distribution of each species, survival and causes of mortality, home range size and potential competition between the species. DEEP’s Wildlife Division also has helped with a captive breeding program for New England cottontails.
In the wider region, state and federal biologists in 2009 began a coordinated conservation effort to reverse the decline in New England cottontail numbers and habitat throughout New England and parts of New York. Connecticut has been engaged in all facets of the New England Cottontail Regional Initiative. Habitat on about 700 acres of public land and 600 acres of private land have been enhanced in patches ranging from six to 100 acres. These projects benefit not only the New England cottontail, according to DEEP, but also 47 other high priority species that are depend on young forest habitat.
The New England cottontail weighs between 1.6 and 2.9 pounds, measures from 14.2 to 18.8 inches, and is slightly smaller, on average, than the eastern cottontail. The two species are not known to interbreed in the wild. The species are almost identical in appearance, except for a slight variation in color. Also, about half of the eastern cottontail population shows a white, star-like shape on the forehead, while New England cottontails lack this trait.
Cottontail rabbits usually have 2 to 4 litters per year with about 3 to 8 young per litter. The young are born blind, naked, and helpless but grow rapidly, leaving the nest after only 2 to 3 weeks. On average, 15% of young rabbits survive their first year. Adults are usually solitary, except when a female is caring for its young.
The seasonal positions for the cottontail research are based at DEEP’s Franklin Swamp Wildlife Management Area office in North Franklin. Pay for the six-month gig, which starts in November, is $14$17 an hour, depending on education and experience, with no benefits or housing, according to the agency.
The New England cottontail, which is similar but distinct from the more common eastern cottontail, has been squeezed into less than a fifth of its historic range. Wildlife biologists estimate only about 13,000 remain in New England and New York state east of the Hudson River.