Tuesday, July 2, 2019,
This is an adult Eastern Cottontail Rabbit that I saw at Frank Melville Park. Check out its ears in these two photographs. Look at how tattered both of them are. These don’t appear to be fresh wounds but something very nearly made a meal of this guy sometime during its lifetime. Eastern Cottontails have an average lifespan of only three years in the wild. By way of contrast, the very same species can live to be up to eight years in captivity. It’s a hard life in the wild and these pics are an example of just how tough it is for any wild animal.
I don’t know what manner of critter that attacked this rabbit, be it a fox, or hawk, or even your neighbor’s cat or dog, but the predators of rabbits are many and they take their toll. This guy is a lucky survivor. JK
Great shots. He looks like he could star in the movie version of WATERSHIP DOWN.
Captain Holly or El-Ahrairah? JK.
Oh, I don’t know. It’s been a long time since I read it. I’ll leave the casting to you, but he should definitely be included. 😉
This rabbit could maybe write his own book. I don’t know if it would be as good as Watership Down, but he certainly has at least one tale to tell. JK
Well, if he needs an agent, Louie is at the ready. 😉