Mammals of the San Gabriel Mountains of CaliforniaVaughan, Terry A.
Science
Mammals of the San Gabriel Mountains of California
Vaughan, Terry A.
Mammals -- California, Southern
This subspecies was recorded on the interior slope from 5200 feet
elevation, as at the head of Grandview Canyon, down into the desert, and
was common in the sagebrush flats of the upper pinyon-juniper
association. Piles of feces under thick oak and mountain-mahogany
chaparral indicated that the rabbits often sought shelter there.
Adequate cover is a requirement for this rabbit on the desert slope of
the San Gabriels; in the juniper and Joshua tree belts the species
occurs in washes where there is fairly heavy brush, and only
occasionally elsewhere. In the foothills, when frightened from cover in
one small wash cottontails often run up over an adjacent low ridge and
seek cover in the brush of the next wash. In the wash below Graham
Canyon tracks and observations showed that cottontails were taking
refuge in deserted burrows of kit foxes.
In the pinyon-juniper association cottontails and jack rabbits probably
occur in roughly equal numbers, but in the Joshua tree belt cottontails
seem far less numerous than jack rabbits. In the course of a two hour
hike in lower Mescal Wash, at about 3500 feet, eleven jack rabbits and
two cottontails were noted.
_Specimens examined._--Total, 2, distributed as follows: Los
Angeles County: 6 mi. E and 1 mi. S Llano, 3500 ft., 1; Mescal
Canyon, 4800 ft., 1.
=Sylvilagus bachmani cinerascens= (J. A. Allen)
Brush Rabbit
Brush rabbits inhabit the Pacific slope of the mountains from about 1200
feet in the coastal sagebrush belt up to at least 4500 feet in the
chaparral, and are the only lagomorphs found commonly above the lower
edge of the chaparral association. Here they were often on steep slopes
beneath extensive and nearly impenetrable tracts of chaparral.
The ecologic niche of the brush rabbit is in brush where the plants form
continuous thickets with little open ground. In the coastal sagebrush
flats, areas supporting only scattered bushes are uninhabited by brush
rabbits, while areas grown to extensive tracts of brush harbor them.
When the brush rabbit's mode of escape from its enemies is considered,
the reason for their habitat preference becomes more clear. Almost
invariably these rabbits seek escape by running through the densest
portions of the brush, never appearing in the open; in this way they
travel quickly away from the source of danger without being observed.
Because they avoid being seen in the open, and do not seek safety
largely through running ability, they need continuous stretches of brush
for escape. While hunting in the coastal sagebrush belt I have
repeatedly seen frightened brush rabbits turn and dart beneath the
bushes a few feet from a human being rather than be driven into the
open.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account