Lepus californicus
Silhouette: Jan A. Venter, Herbert H. T. Prins, David A. Balfour & Rob Slotow (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), also known as the American desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to 10,000 ft (3,000 m). Reaching a length around 2 ft (61 cm), and a weight from 3 to 6 lb (1.4 to 2.7 kg), the black-tailed jackrabbit is one of the largest North American hares. Black-tailed jackrabbits occupy mixed shrub-grassland terrains. Their breeding depends on the location; it typically peaks in spring, but may continue all year round in warm climates. Young are born fully furred with eyes open; they are well camouflaged and are mobile within minutes of birth, thus females do not protect or even stay with the young except during nursing. The average litter size is around four, but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions.
The black-tailed jackrabbit does not migrate or hibernate during winter and uses the same habitat of 0.4–1.2 mi2 (1.0–3.1 km2) year-round. Its diet is composed of various shrubs, small trees, grasses, and forbs. Shrubs generally comprise the bulk of fall and winter diets, while grasses and forbs are used in spring and early summer, but the pattern and plant species vary with climate. The black-tailed jackrabbit is an important prey species for raptors and carnivorous mammals, such as eagles, hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, and wild cats. The hares host many ectoparasites including fleas, ticks, lice, and mites; for this reason, hunters often avoid collecting them. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Jackrabbit sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 267 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 15 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and September
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Black-tailed Jackrabbit in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against about 30% in October, the lowest month.
Between 6 and 9 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-tailed Jackrabbit sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Black-tailed Jackrabbit sightings, Joshua Tree National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 30%) and Saguaro National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-tailed Jackrabbit is recorded against all the mammals logged in Joshua Tree National Park (267 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
