Hare Today, Gone Tomorrow

[Eric Gofreed]

In the wild, survival is a fleeting moment. This collection captures the delicate grace of wild rabbits—from the swift jackrabbits to the elusive marsh rabbit and the ever-cautious cottontail. Each image tells a story of life on the edge, where every hop and every glance can determine a rabbit’s fate. Among the stillness of the marsh and the open plains, survival is a matter of luck. Life is worth living, and it’s great to be atop the food chain.

Black-tailed Jackrabbit

Antelope Jackrabbit

Desert Cottontail

A Great Blue Heron captured a marsh rabbit by the neck. After 20 minutes of trying to kill it through biting and shaking, the heron decided to drown the rabbit before swallowing it whole.

 

[AlanLichty]

Cool set of rabbit shots - unless you are the desert cottontail that just became the GBH's lunch of course. I was wondering about your food chain comment until I scrolled to the bottom. I like the two action shots of them in motion. Does the black-tailed jackrabbit have a different gait than the rest of them? The shot above almost feels more like a usual quadruped gait than rabbit hopping.

 

[Jeffrey]

Great set Eric! I can't believe a GBH would eat a rabbit that size. What en event to witness!

 

[Eric Gofreed]

Cool set of rabbit shots - unless you are the desert cottontail that just became the GBH's lunch of course. I was wondering about your food chain comment until I scrolled to the bottom. I like the two action shots of them in motion. Does the black-tailed jackrabbit have a different gait than the rest of them? The shot above almost feels more like a usual quadruped gait than rabbit hopping.

Jackrabbits and rabbits move differently because they’re built for different environments. Jackrabbits are hares, not true rabbits—they have long, powerful hind legs that let them gallop and bound in long leaps, covering up to 20 feet at a time and reaching speeds of 35 to 45 mph. Their gait looks more like a loping run, and they can maintain that speed over distance, often zigzagging to escape predators in open terrain. In contrast, rabbits like the eastern cottontail hop using both back legs at once, making short, quick jumps. They're built for quick bursts of speed and sharp turns in dense cover, not long chases.

 

[Trent Watts]

You are a wonderful educator and photographer Eric. This is a delightful series. Thanks for the post.

 

[Beth]

now those are some ears. nice set of photos.

 

[JimFox]

What great rabbit images you got Eric. I did have to cover my eyes while looking at the last one. That mean, mean bird picking on a little bunny rabbit.