CreatureData

Eastern cottontail

Sylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen, 1890)

LCLeast Concernmammals

The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a species in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha. Recorded adults weigh 1.13 kg to 1.24 kg and live up to 9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Photo: The High Fin Sperm Whale · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the eastern cottontail

Weight
1.13 kg – 1.24 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
9 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
9.8 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
26 days – 28.7 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
3.1 – 5.6src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
4.04 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
3.9src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the eastern cottontail live?

Not recorded

What is the eastern cottontail?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a species of rabbit in the family Leporidae. It is the most widespread and abundant rabbit species in North America, inhabiting a wide range that extends from southern Canada throughout most of the United States and into parts of Mexico, Central America, and the northern regions of South America. Known for its distinctive fluffy white tail, which resembles a cotton ball and gives the species its common name, the eastern cottontail typically inhabits open fields, meadows, and brushy areas where it can easily find cover and food. It is a primarily herbivorous, crepuscular mammal that feeds on grasses, herbs, twigs, and bark, and plays an important role in the ecosystem as prey for a variety of predators including foxes, hawks, and owls. Due to its adaptability to human-altered landscapes such as suburban and agricultural areas, the eastern cottontail has maintained stable population levels and is not considered threatened. It is also well known for its high reproductive rate, with females capable of producing multiple large litters annually, which contributes to its widespread presence.

From the Wikipedia article “Eastern cottontail” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eastern_cottontail&oldid=1371889828), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the eastern cottontail endangered?

The eastern cottontail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the eastern cottontail classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderLagomorpha
  5. familyLeporidae
  6. genusSylvilagus
  7. SpeciesSylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen, 1890)

Synonyms Lepus floridanus, Lepus floridanus chapmani, Lepus floridanus connectens, Lepus floridanus subcinctus, Lepus floridanus yucatanicus, Lepus nigronuchalis, Lepus nuttalli mallurus, Lepus orizabae, Lepus russatus, Lepus sylvaticus alacer, Lepus sylvaticus aztecus, Lepus sylvaticus floridanus, Lepus sylvaticus holzneri, Sylvilagus floridanus alacer, Sylvilagus floridanus avius, Sylvilagus floridanus aztecus, Sylvilagus floridanus chapmani, Sylvilagus floridanus connectens, Sylvilagus floridanus cumanicus, Sylvilagus floridanus floridanus, Sylvilagus floridanus holzneri, Sylvilagus floridanus hondurensis, Sylvilagus floridanus macrocorpus, Sylvilagus floridanus mallurus, Sylvilagus floridanus margaritae, Sylvilagus floridanus nigronuchalis, Sylvilagus floridanus orinoci, Sylvilagus floridanus orizabae, Sylvilagus floridanus purgatus, Sylvilagus floridanus russatus, Sylvilagus floridanus subcinctus, Sylvilagus floridanus superciliaris, Sylvilagus floridanus yucatanicus, Sylvilagus orinoci

Other names and names in other languages (39)
  • Andean rabbitEnglish
  • Cottontail rabbitEnglish
  • Florida cottontailEnglish
  • Gray rabbitEnglish
  • Grey rabbitEnglish
  • Molly hareEnglish
  • Molly-cottontailEnglish
  • ᏥᏍᏚCherokee
  • králík východoamerickýCzech
  • FloridawaldkaninchenGerman
  • Florida-WaldkaninchenGerman
  • Östliches BaumwollschwanzkaninchenGerman
  • Γκρίζο ΑγριοκούνελοGreek
  • Conejo serranoSpanish
  • Conejo AmericanoSpanish
  • Conejo CastellanoSpanish
  • Conejo cola de algodónSpanish
  • pumpulihäntäkaniiniFinnish
  • lapin à queue blancheFrench
  • Lapin de FlorideFrench
  • ארנב כותנה מזרחיHebrew
  • floridai üreginyúlHungarian
  • MinilepreItalian
  • Silvilago orientaleItalian
  • トウブワタオウサギJapanese
  • 동부솜꼬리토끼Korean
  • Austrumu baltastes trusisLatvian
  • Vanlig DuskhalekaninNorwegian Bokmål
  • tochtlinci
  • FloridakonijnDutch
  • manidoo-waaboozOjibwa
  • królak florydzkiPolish
  • Królik florydzkiPolish
  • Coelho-da-FlóridaPortuguese
  • Флоридский кроликRussian
  • belorepi kunecSlovenian
  • Источноамерички кунићSerbian
  • Кріль флоридськийUkrainian
  • 東部棉尾兔Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the eastern cottontail

Other species in the same genus Sylvilagus.

LC, Least Concern

Brush rabbit

Sylvilagus bachmani

LeporidaeNo free photo yet

CompareEastern cottontail vs Swamp rabbitEastern cottontail vs Brush rabbitEastern cottontail vs Common tapetiEastern cottontail vs Desert cottontail

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the eastern cottontail?

An adult eastern cottontail weighs 1.13 kg – 1.24 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the eastern cottontail endangered?

The eastern cottontail is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the eastern cottontail live?

The eastern cottontail has a recorded lifespan of 9 years.

How long is the eastern cottontail pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 26 days – 28.7 days.

What kind of animal is the eastern cottontail?

The eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) belongs to the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-cottontail

MLA

“Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-cottontail.

BibTeX
@misc{eastern_cottontail_2026,
  title = {Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-cottontail},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}