Mexican cottontail vs mountain hare

Sylvilagus cunicularius compared with Lepus timidus

Key Differences

• Mexican cottontail is Least Concern while mountain hare is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Mexican cottontail	mountain hare
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)
Family same	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)
Genus	Sylvilagus	Lepus
Species	Sylvilagus cunicularius	Lepus timidus

Evolutionary Relationship

Mexican cottontail and mountain hare share a common ancestor at the Family level: Leporidae. (Rabbits & Hares)

Conservation Status

Mexican cottontail

LC — Least Concern

mountain hare

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Mexican cottontail	mountain hare
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Mexican cottontail

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

mountain hare

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.