NPSpecies

See Comments below; Data Source: Gilbert, 2006

Introduced to New England pre-1900 from Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and West Virginia (Godin, 1977); Data Source: Godin, 1977 Legacy NPSpecies information may no longer be applicable, please remove if it is not applicable. In legacy NPSpecies Cultivation value was Not cultivated with comment:

Park Species Detail: Gilbert, 2006- Eastern Cottontail (S. floridanus) which is found throughout New York and is easily confused with the New England cottontail. New England cottontails prefer dense thickets (Whitaker and Hamilton 1998, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2005b). Cottontails were not detected in the park, but museum specimens occur for both species in Nassau County. Identification often requires DNA analysis or examination of skull structure to distinguish between Eastern and New England Cottontails (Whitaker and Hamilton 1998, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2005b); therefore, absolute certainty of the presence of this species requires physical evidence such as an animal for structural evaluation or fecal material for DNA analysis (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2005b). State wildlife officials should be consulted for identification of any cottontail specimen found on park property./, Park Species Data Source: Gilbert, 2006