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Writer's pictureKelsea Batchelder

Taxonomy of the New England Cottontail

Domain: Eukaryota - Eukaryotes have cells with a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles (Wikipedia, n.d.).

Kingdom: Animalia - Animals are capable of movement, breathe oxygen, are multicellular, can reproduce sexually, and consume organic material (Wikipedia², n.d.).

Phylum: Chordata - Chordates must exhibit five specific traits to be a part of this phylum: “...a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, an endostyle or thyroid, pharyngeal slits, and a post-anal tail” (Wikipedia³, n.d.)

Class: Mammalia - Mammals are vertebrates with mammary glands, fur or hair, a neocortex in the brain, and three middle ear bones (Wikipedia⁴, n.d.).

Order: Lagomorpha - Lagomorphs consist of rabbits, hares, and pikas which are composed of a mix of basal and derived traits and a “...a moderately fused postorbital process to the cranium…” (Wikipedia⁵, n.d.).

Family: Leporidae - Leporidae more specifically are just rabbits and hares, distinctly having short, furry tails, long ears, and long hind legs (Wikipedia⁶, n.d.).

Genus: Sylvilagus - Sylvilagus are cottontail rabbits, known for their stubby, fluffy white tails, which live in nests and have altricial young (Wikipedia⁷, n.d.).

Species: S. transitionalis - Sylvilagus transitionalis are New England cottontail rabbits, which typically have black hair between and on the front of their ears and have a unique frontonasal skull sutures with jagged lines (Wikipedia⁸, n.d. ).


Sources:

Wikipedia. n.d. Eukaryote. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukaryote 

Wikipedia². n.d. Animal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal 

Wikipedia³. n.d. Chordate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chordate  

Wikipedia⁴. n.d. Mammal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal 

Wikipedia⁵. n.d. Lagomorpha. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorpha 

Wikipedia⁶. n.d. Leporidae. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leporidae 

Wikipedia⁷. n.d. Cottontail rabbit. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottontail_rabbit 

Wikipedia⁸. n.d. New England cottontail. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_cottontail 


Blog Image Source: Fukuyama, W. 2023. Cottontail. Free to use under the Unsplash License. https://unsplash.com/photos/a-small-rabbit-sitting-in-the-grass-Rr6kQCPk6aU

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