Abstract
Antelope jackrabbits (Lepus alleni), black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus), and desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii) are sympatric in the southwestern United States. However, how each species uses resources has not been examined. We quantified vegetation characteristics and patterns of habitat use by these 3 species of leporids in the Picacho Mountains, Arizona, USA, May-August 1999 and 2000. All leporids used similar diameters of overhead vegetation cover for above-ground resting sites. Desert cottontails used dense vegetation that was closer to the ground more often thanjackrabbits. Desert cottontails typically built forms in areas with triangle-leaf bursage (Ambrosia deltoidea) and tall plants (>1.5 m) that provided thermal cover but rarely built in areas dominated by mesquite (Prosopis spp.) or creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). Jackrabbits built forms predominantly in mesquite-and creosote-dominated areas. Landscape managers should consider how altered vegetation (i.e., through livestock allotment management plans) can favor 1 leporid species over others.
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