Members of the genus Sylvilagus, cottontails have large ears and short legs and move with a scurrying or scampering gait. Unlike the European rabbit, they do not dig their own burrows but make a nest in a depression in the ground. Unlike hares, they seek protection in hiding rather than in swift flight. The cottontail ranges from the southern border of Canada to N Argentina. There are six races.
Cottontails are a common source of tularemia , or rabbit fever.
They are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Lagomorpha, family Leporidae.