# Black-tailed jackrabbit (*Lepus californicus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-tailed-jackrabbit  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) is a mammal in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial herbivore that is nocturnal, with an adult body mass of 2.4 kg. Gestation lasts 43.5 days, with 2.68 young per litter and 3.73 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 243 days. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.32 kg – 2.42 kg |
| Length | 61 cm |
| Lifespan | 6.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 11.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 41 days – 43.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.68 |
| Age at maturity | 8 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 3.73 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Lagomorpha
- family: Leporidae
- genus: Lepus
- species: *Lepus californicus* Gray, 1837

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the black-tailed jackrabbit?

The black-tailed jackrabbit is a mammal in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha, genus Lepus.

### How heavy is a black-tailed jackrabbit?

An adult black-tailed jackrabbit has a body mass of 2.4 kg, which places it in the medium size class.

### What does the black-tailed jackrabbit eat?

The black-tailed jackrabbit is a herbivore.

### Is the black-tailed jackrabbit endangered?

No. The IUCN lists the black-tailed jackrabbit as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a black-tailed jackrabbit live?

The black-tailed jackrabbit has a lifespan of 6.8 years, with values up to 11.81 years reported.

### How many young does a black-tailed jackrabbit have?

The black-tailed jackrabbit has 2.68 young per litter and 3.73 litters per year, after a gestation period of 43.5 days.

### Is the black-tailed jackrabbit nocturnal?

Yes. The black-tailed jackrabbit is nocturnal and terrestrial.

### Who named the black-tailed jackrabbit?

The black-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus californicus, was named by Gray, 1837.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-tailed-jackrabbit