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The urbanization of environments is a major land use change across the globe that is expected to continue. While the urban environment typically presents wildlife with lethal challenges, it may also present new opportunities for species able to behaviourally adapt. White-tailed jackrabbits are a quintessential prairie adapted species, which are understudied and are suggested to be in decline across their range. In the first urban study for this species, we surveyed the white-tailed jackrabbit population in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This population is at the northern edge of the distribution for this species. Using surveys conducted over a 24-year period across different land use strata, we show that the current average population density of white-tailed jackrabbits (8.0 hares/km2) is very similar to densities in their southern range and significantly higher than local rural populations. Our models suggest that the population is relatively stable and exhibits approximately 7-year cycles. We discuss the importance of upland city park habitats for this species and suggest further research to determine the spatial dynamics of the species in an urban setting. Given the dynamics of climate change, we highlight the importance of studying species at the leading edge of possible range expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution and abundance of the white-tailed jackrabbit Lepus townsendii have declined significantly since 1950, continuing a trend that began in some regions of its range in the late 1800s. We reviewed museum records and the literature to evaluate the status of the white-tailed jackrabbit in each state and province in its historical range and evaluated possible reasons for its decline. Our evaluation revealed its extirpation or decline throughout much of its range, but its legal or conservation status does generally not reflect this precarious status. We note its extirpation in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, and potential extirpation in British Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, and Wisconsin. We classified the white-tailed jackrabbit to be broadly extirpated in Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Nebraska and California, and declining with local extirpations in Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and South Dakota. We consider it to be a relict in Ontario, and possibly declining in Alberta, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, Idaho, and Montana. We consider only Manitoba to have a possibly stable population. Determining the reasons for the species' reduced distribution is difficult, as the decline appears to be due to multiple factors, none of which provide a universal explanation. We dismissed road kills, recreational hunting, disease and parasites, and competition with black-tailed jackrabbits Lepus californicus as causes of the widespread population declines and extirpations. We concluded that habitat alterations and climate change are overriding factors, and that past depredation measures and increased predator populations have likely contributed to the decline. These hypotheses require further testing. We recommend more research on the distribution, abundance, ecology, and population dynamics of white-tailed jackrabbits, and management that includes a frank appraisal of the species' status, the potential for grassland restoration, and programs to reintroduce populations into prairie preserves and restored grasslands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decline of the white-tailed jackrabbit, (Lepus townsendii), has been occurring throughout the species natural range. This has provoked the need for research and a greater understanding of the reasons behind the decline. Literature suggests that the white-tailed jackrabbit forage quality may not be sufficient, which is important for pre-natal nutrition and further, that the metabolism of the jackrabbit is higher in the winter; however, the amount of carbohydrates available to jackrabbits has not been investigated. Prairie grasses and soils from white-tailed jackrabbit inhabited areas in central and western South Dakota, were sampled from three counties from the fall of 2013 until the spring of 2015. The results of this study suggest that the carbohydrate concentration (glucose and fructose) of grasses are low during the fall and winter when pre-natal nutrition for the first litter is important and the concentrations of glucose, fructose, and soil texture between all three counties were significant (p<0.001). Jackrabbits were also found in areas with a higher clay concentration for soils. Jackrabbit biochemical studies coupled with physiological research is needed to help portray a better understanding of white-tailed jackrabbit population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study which investigates the occurrence of the disease known as septicemic listeriosis, caused by the pathogen known as Listeria monocytogenes, in the wild hare population in Canada. Topics discussed include a detailed description of the medical diagnosis and autopsy conducted on the three wild hare specimens in the Veterinary Medical Center in Saskatchewan, Canada, and a detailed analysis of the medical findings.

Large protected areas are often considered natural yet outside pressures may compromise ecological integrity. This paper points to a problem in assessing ecological baselines: what if species' extirpations go undetected? I present a data set spanning 130 years that demonstrates the loss of white-tailed jack rabbits Lepus townsendii from two National Parks in the well studied 60,000 km2 Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA. While these extirpations have been unnoticed until now, an ecological consequence may be elevated predation on juvenile ungulates. A critical challenge we face is how to apply better the concept of shifting baselines to the restoration of functional relationships when species' losses are undetected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We observed White-tailed Jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) eating spike plants (Cordyline australis), a non-native ornamental garden plant, in our front yard within the city of Edmonton, Alberta. We have noted this persistent behaviour every winter between 2006-2007 and 2011-2012. By late January, the plants were usually eaten right down to the stem base. We suggest that the White-tailed Jackrabbits turn to this food source in winter when more preferred foods are lacking, are in short supply, or are not as readily accessible. Our observations add another plant species to the list of non-native plants consumed by White-tailed Jackrabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]