You’re enjoying your morning coffee when a flash of brown catches your eye in the backyard. A rabbit? Maybe. But Phoenix is home to three distinct rabbit species, and what you’re seeing might surprise you.
One’s actually a hare, another stands nearly two feet tall, and the smallest weighs about as much as a bag of sugar.
Learning to tell them apart transforms casual backyard observations into fascinating insights about the Sonoran Desert’s adaptable wildlife.
1. Desert Cottontail
The desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) is the rabbit you’ll most likely spot in Phoenix neighborhoods, especially in thick, brushy areas with plenty of hiding spots. This true rabbit has adapted remarkably well to suburban life, making itself at home in landscaped yards, parks, and desert edges throughout the metropolitan area…