43/150: It’s not the Easter bunny, it’s the Eastern cottontail!

animalia: Chordata: Mammalia: Lagomorpha: Leporidae: Sylvilagus: Sylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen, 1890)

Hopping around a meadow (or your lawn) at night, it’s the Eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridianus)! Often associated with Easter and the Easter bunny, this rabbit is common in southern Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, and throughout the eastern United States and Mexico. Named for its fluffy white tail, their fur is usually grey, brown, or reddish-brown. They keep this colouration throughout the year. Eastern cottontails are herbivorous, although they are also coprophagous – meaning they eat their fecal pellets! Though it sounds gross to humans, the process allows them to gain nutrients not absorbed during their food’s initial digestion. Eastern cottontails can breed from a very early age, and are able to have from one to seven litters a year. Their offspring are called kits, and they usually leave the nest after two to four weeks. Let us know if you’ve seen a cottontail around your home lately! #Easter #Rabbit #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

The always inquisitive, but also shy, Eastern Cottontail rabbit. Photo Credit: Matt Reinbold goo.gl/bOmsww

The Eastern cottontail rabbit enjoying a snack in a field. This looks tastier than a pellet! Photo Credit: Pixabay goo.gl/Asq0Wm

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: ABMC247-05

nucleotide sequence

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGAGCAGAACTAGGTCAACCAGGGACCCTACTCGGAGACGATCAGATCTATAATGTAATCGTTACAGCACATGCCTTTGTAATAATTTTCTTTATAGTAATGCCTATTATGATTGGGGGATTTGGCAACTGACTAGTCCCCCTAATAATTGGAGCCCCTGACATAGCTTTTCCCCGAATAAACAACATAAGCTTTTGACTTCTCCCTCCGTCCTTTCTTCTCCTACTTGCTTCATCAATAGTAGAAGCCGGGGCGGGGACAGGCTGAACTGTTTACCCTCCCCTTGCTGGCAACCTAGCCCATGCAGGAGCATCAGTGGACTTAACTATTTTCTCTCTTCACTTAGCCGGAGTATCTTCCATCCTAGGGGCTATCAATTTTATTACAACAATTATTAATATAAAACCCCCTGCTATATCCCAGTATCAAACCCCTCTATTCGTATGATCCGTCCTCATCACAGCAGTACTTCTTCTGCTCTCATTACCAGTACTGGCCGCCGGCATCACAATACTCCTAACAGACCGTAATCTAAATACTACTTTCTTCGACCCAGCCGGAGGAGGGGACCCAATCCTTTATCAACACTTATTC

amino acid sequence

AELGQPGTLLGDDQIYNVIVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPIMIGGFGNWLVPLMIGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSFLLLLASSMVEAGAGTGWTVYPPLAGNLAHAGASVDLTIFSLHLAGVSSILGAINFITTIINMKPPAMSQYQTPLFVWSVLITAVLLLLSLPVLAAGITMLLTDRNLNTTFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Visual representation of DNA barcode sequence for Eastern Cottontail

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAC0555

Title Image: Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
Photo Credit: Gareth Rasberry goo.gl/KsVI8P

Comments

2 responses to “43/150: It’s not the Easter bunny, it’s the Eastern cottontail!”

Mike James Trizna

April 14, 2017

Did you have to kill a poor cotton tail to get its barcode?

1. Crystal Sobel
  
  April 17, 2017
  
  Typically we use roadkill or find the animal naturally dead. We can use a tissue sample from it for the DNA barcode.