Do you have some type of cottontail rabbit living in your backyard? How closely have you looked at these quick, cuddly creatures?

Super Senses. A cottontail’s eyes sit on either side of its head, not in the front like yours. Because of this, the rabbit can see for almost 360 degrees without moving. Rabbits just have one blind spot—right in front of their noses! Their big ears can pick up the tiniest of noises, and their vision is very sharp.

Telltale Tails. Cottontails usually hop from place to place. But when threatened, these little guys can run—sometimes 18 miles an hour! When they do, their tails bounce up and down. Foxes or coyotes chase these “cotton balls.” But when a rabbit crouches down, predators can’t see the tail anymore. Phew! The rabbit is safe—this time.

Summer Food, Winter Food. In summer, cottontails love to munch on grass, goldenrod, buttercups, and violets. In the winter when green plants die, they switch to plants like bark and twigs.

Fast Growers. Rabbits don’t just reproduce fast. They also grow up fast. Imagine being ready to leave your parents and start your own life at just five weeks old! Rabbits are like that. By the time they are two or three months old, they are ready to have kits of their own.

Body Language. Have you ever seen a rabbit binky? In this case, binky isn’t something a baby sucks on. It’s something a rabbit does with its body. When a rabbit binkies, it jumps into the air. It twists its head one way, and its body the other way. Then it lands back on the ground. Rabbits binky when they are happy.