But Husband has perfected a technique for extracting DNA from the rabbit's droppings that might just save them. New England cottontails are almost impossible to distinguish from their common cousin, the Eastern cottontail, which was introduced to New England by hunters beginning in the 1930s. In fact, the only way of absolutely determining which species is which is to examine a clean, undamaged skull. But if we extract DNA from rabbit feces collected from throughout the region, we can provide an excellent picture of where the New England cottontail is found and where the Eastern cottontail is found. Identifying a species' range is a crucial step in managing its population.
Range becomes very important.
Under Husband's guidance, URI graduate student Melanie Smith of Portsmouth has been studying DNA extraction and purification techniques in the lab, and conducting a survey of road-killed rabbits in Rhode Island in an effort to determine their population. So far she has found very few New England cottontails. It could be because of aggressive behavior by Easterns. It could be habitat changes. It could be fertility levels.