BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT

focus on nature Despite Its Afterburner Speed, the Jackrabbit Remains Fast Food for Some Desert Predators

If the frequency of its appearance in motion-picture cartoons is any measure, the quintessential desert animal is the jackrabbit. The black-tailed jackrabbit, to be specific, which occurs almost everywhere in Arizona, even in grassy areas along freeways and around office buildings.

The jackrabbit is not actually a rabbit but a hare. Rabbits and hares are in the same family, though, so they look alike when grown up. Both have elongated hind legs, well-suited for hopping and jumping, and rather long ears, good for gathering and concentrating sound and for dissipating heat through a network of fine blood vessels. But there are differences. Hares have a full coat at birth, their eyes are open, and they can run, so they are not utterly defenseless. Rabbits on the other hand are blind and helpless and, because they are hairless, must be cared for in a fur-lined nest for some time after birth. Mature hares are larger, too, up to 10 inches greater in length than the desert cottontail, for example. Finally, the ears of hares are much longer and, on the black-tailed jack, they, along with its tail, are tipped in black.

All desert animals must find ways to regulate body temperature or die. Most become inactive at midday. The black-tailed jackrabbit's principal defense