Is A Jack Rabbit A Rabbit?

A jack rabbit is not a rabbit, it is a hare. Since hares have large ears that resemble those of a jackass, they are commonly called a jack rabbit.

How can you tell the difference between a wild rabbit and a hare? If you are in the wilderness and see a rabbit with large ears that are standing straight up, this could be a hare. Their ears are 5 to 6 inches long. Their bodies are slender and they have longer hind legs than a rabbit.

A hare has long, large powerful hind legs and large ears. Their unique ears are not only hearing their predators, but also used to regulate their body temperature.

The hares powerful long hind legs enable them to run away from danger, and they can run up to 45 miles per hour, and they run close to the ground.

You can find hares and wild rabbits throughout the world. They make their homes in grassland, rivers, plains, deserts, woods and even the Arctic snow.

The babies born to hares and rabbits are born differently. A jack rabbit young, called a leveret, is born with its eyes open, fully haired, and able to hop. Whereas, a rabbit young, called a kitten, is born blind and hairless.

Hares will not make a nest before giving birth. Their young are independent within hours after birth. A mother rabbit will make a nest. When she leaves her babies, she will cover the nest with twigs to hide her young from predators. Rabbits will nurse her babies only twice a day. Then leave the nest so predators will not find them.

To know the difference between Jack Rabbits and Wild Rabbits, here is some info on wild rabbits.

The mating season for a hare varies between the different species depending on their location. Hares can be seen from Canada to Mexico and the Arctic.

Even though rabbits can be domesticated, a jack rabbit cannot. The Belgian Hare is a rabbit that has been bred to resemble a hare. Their coat looks like a hare’s, grayish –brown with black markings

A rabbits coat will remain the same throughout the year, whereas the jack rabbit coat is grayish-brown in the summer and can turn white in the winter.

Rabbits are very sociable and live in colonies. Hares are shy, living by themselves most of the time. Hares will come together in pairs for matting.

Male rabbits will fight with other males to become the dominant male. Then this will give them the power to mate with most of the females in the colony. Hares usually do not fight. However, during mating season you may catch two hares “boxing” with each other. It’s usually a female and a male. The female is hitting the male to prevent copulation.



Hares make their nests usually in grass or brush above ground, and a rabbit lives underground, except the cottontail, which also lives above ground. Rabbits stay in their underground burrows during the day. They will come out to eat between dusk to dawn. Rabbits prefer the darkness to help keep them safe from harm. Hares stay above ground and use their powerful hind legs to escape from danger, if necessary.

There is a difference between their diets also. Jack rabbits eat grasses, bark, shrubs and other vegetation that are high in water content. This way they require little water. Rabbits enjoy grass, soft stems and vegetables, and they require water daily.

Tips on feeding Wild Rabbits


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