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Baby Cottontail


Baby Cottontail
Photo Information
Copyright: Jane Magen (jaycee) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-08-03
Categories: Desert
Camera: Canon SX10IS
Exposure: f/5.7, 1/40 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite wild animal photos 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-09-04 8:56
Viewed: 396
Points: 44
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Desert Cottontails

Cottontails are named after their tail, which is shaped like a cottony ball. The desert portion of their common name arises from their distribution across the arid lands of the American Southwest and Plains states.

Desert cottontails occur in a wide variety of habitats, including dry desertlike grasslands and shrublands, riparian areas and pinyon-juniper forests. They may occur in the same areas as black-tailed jackrabbits.

The adult desert cottontail is light colored, tan to gray, with a yellowish tinge. The underside of the body is whitish. It often has an orange-brown throat patch. The tail is rounded and looks like a cottonball, but is darker above, white below. The length of a desert cottontail is thirteen to seventeen inches; ears average three to four inches long; and the average weight is two to three pounds. Females are larger than the males.

Hind feet are large and average three inches long. When the rabbit takes short hops, its tracks look like the number "7," with the two hind feet planted first, then the two front feet set behind.

The desert cottontail is born in a nest lined with grass and with fur which the mother pulls from her belly. The nest is located in a depression, abandoned badger or prairie dog burrow, or beneath a shrub.

A female may bear young year round (California) or up to eight months of the year. She may bear twenty to thirty young in four to five litters. A normal litter has two to six young, which are born blind, furless and unable to care for themselves (altrical). The mother returns to the den site to feed her young. The young are weaned at two weeks old, and they leave the nest area three weeks after birth.

When alarmed, a cottontail can run up to twenty miles per hour in a zigzag pattern to escape predators. Often, the cottontail runs to a protective location like a burrow or thicket. If cornered by a small predator, like a weasel, a cottontail may "bowl over" the predator and give it a kick with its powerful hind legs as well. A cottontail may also freeze when danger lurks, and scrunch down to blend into its surroundings.

www.desertusa.com
nazirbadar, Argus, rousettus, zulfu, bahadir, goatman04, boreocypriensis, xTauruSx, CeltickRanger, anemone, Gert-Paassen, maurydv, nasokoun, techranger, nglen, jcoowanitwong, tuslaw has marked this note useful
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To goatman04: Graveljaycee 1 09-05 16:43
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3808 W: 190 N: 11328] (34927)
  • [2009-09-04 9:41]

Hello Jane,
Fullmarks on the cute scale for this junior Cottontail!
He sits in a fine pose and you caught him from a great POV with excellent sharpness and lighting against the gravel BG
Thaks and have a nice weekend!
Ivan

Hello Jane
another beautiful animal from marvellous nature of Arizona. you nicely capture it on graves. lateral POV, focus, eyes contact and composition very nice. good informative notes. thanks for sharing
have a nice weekend
Ahmet

hello Jane
Lovely composition
nice details of this Baby
great shot
greeting lou

  • Great 
  • zulfu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1053 W: 0 N: 162] (866)
  • [2009-09-04 10:37]

Hello Jane, lovely shot of this cute cottontail with nice composition.
TFS and R's,
Mehmet

Hello Jane, perfect and lovely shot of this cute baby cottontail with nice details and composition.
TFS and regards,
Bahadır

Hello Jane,

A great shot of this "little one" Cottontail with with fine natural coloration, sharpness & details. Lovely pose, POV with natural BG.

I hope that he/she did not get any blisters from those hot stones/gravel!

Well done & have a great weekend

Best Regards

Umar

:))) cuteeeeee... cuteeeeeee:) a very lovely baby BSJ. I loove his facial expression and its lovely posture.
Excellent capture with fine sharphess and composition.
TFS and have a nice WE Sister.

bayram

Hello Jane, very beutiful shot of this ptetty baby.
TFS and regards,
Deniz

hello Jane

i will add anoither cuteeeeee to Bayram's cuteeeeees !
WOW ! Jane what a beautiful photo you did of this Baby Cottontail,
with fine POV, DOF and framing, fine focus excellent
sharpness and details, beautiful luminosity, TFS

Asbed

Hello Jane,
This is perfect and lovely capture and wonderful pose of baby cottontail.. Nice POV..
Thanks for Sharing
Best Regards
Özgür

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2384 W: 94 N: 5493] (17500)
  • [2009-09-05 1:10]

Hello Jane,
Very sweet photo of this Cottontail. Excellent sharpness and beutiful natural colours. Very nice pose and composition.
Regards,
Peter

Hello Jane,
a lovely picture of this cute baby Cottontail, perfect low POV, good sharpness and splendid natural colours, i like this very pleasing composition with a likeable posture and the eye contact.
TFS
Best regards
Have a good weekend
Maurizio

hello Jane
very good photo, beautiful and tender scene,very good composition with the gravel,good attribution of colours and sharp details
TFS
Nasos

Hi Jane...

This cute little bunny contrasts well with the stony BG. Clarity of detail, composition, all well presented. :)

Have a great weekend!

Larry

Hi Jane,
beutiful shot, lovely composition, TFS.
Best regards,
Ferran

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2989 W: 162 N: 941] (2769)
  • [2009-09-05 8:05]

Hello Jane,
A very cute capture of the Cottontail in a fine pose. We have loads of rabbits around here but as you get near them they shoot off with fantastic speed! This one looks nicely camouflaged on the gravel!
TFS and best wishes, Ulla

Ciao Jane, wonderful portrait of cute creature in nice pose, great details and excellent sharpness, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2907 W: 34 N: 8619] (32124)
  • [2009-09-05 11:19]

Hi Jane. i missed this little cute one yesterday. It looks a bit hot sat on the stones. taken with good detail in the fur with natural colours. With a little glint in the large dark eye. Well done TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1977 W: 6 N: 5525] (19661)
  • [2009-09-05 15:59]

Hi Jane,not easy to found a cottontail on TN and in your gallery too.What a nice surprise,i like a lot this baby taken so perfectly! Very tender pic whit excellents sharpness and colors.Have a nice Sunday,thanks for share,LUCIANO

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16522)
  • [2009-09-05 18:28]

Hi Jane
A really cute shot of this lovely baby rabit – great work.
James

Hello Jane,
This baby cottontail is very cute. A fine picture and interesting note. Very well done. Have a nice weekend.
JC

  • Great 
  • tuslaw Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 501 W: 20 N: 1381] (4827)
  • [2009-09-05 19:42]

Hello Jane,
A very cute little bunny captured in fine detail and beautiful natural colors. Nicely composed and with a twinkle in it's eye.
I noticed your cottontails seem to have much larger ears then those we have here in Ohio.
Ron

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