Antelope jackrabbit

The antelope jackrabbit, Lepus alleni, also known as Allen's hare, is a large North American hare found in southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico, in the states of Chihuahua, Nayarit, Sinaloa and Sonora. It has long, pointed ears edged with white, a white belly, light grey sides, a back peppered with black and orange on the neck and chest, and it has long been considered the handsomest of the hares. Its body is about 52 to 58 centimetres long and it can weigh up to 4.1 kilograms. It prefers grassy hills and plains with large desert shrubs and also lives in barren desert, is most active at twilight and at night, and feeds on cacti, grasses and mesquite leaves. It is hunted for food and for its pelt, and the spread of croplands and livestock grazing threatens local populations.