Jackrabbits prefer areas that are more open such as rangeland, relying on their speed to outrun predators. Both cottontails and jackrabbits breed from February through August. The gestation period is about 28 days for cottontails and 43 days for jackrabbits. Litter sizes average three to five in both. Rabbits are able to have several litters per year because females are receptive immediately after birthing and breeding stimulates ovulation.
Rabbits are food for many predators, but their high death rate is offset by their high birth rate.
Economic Importance Rabbits can cause damage any time of the year. They prefer to eat young, succulent, green vegetation, flowers, vegetables and crops during the growing season. In winter, when there is little green vegetation, rabbits may turn to trees and shrubs for food. They gnaw bark and nip off small branches to get the green, inner bark layer. Rabbits can severely damage or kill landscape plants, orchard trees, windbreak trees and other woody plants during long periods of snow cover.