Video

Jack Rabbit - ASL / Audio Description

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Transcript

Jackrabbits are small mammals famous for their large eyes, long ears, quick speed and spring-like leaping ability. Jackrabbits need to be fast and vigilant because they are an important food item for many predators. The Black-tailed jackrabbit is native to the open and sparsely vegetated landscape of the Sonoran Desert. Unlike the smaller desert cottontail rabbit which prefers thick vegetation to hide from predators, the black-tail jackrabbit prefers open habitat to better see predators and outrun the danger. Long ears and long limbs help the jackrabbit to hear and run fast but these traits also cool the jackrabbit. Shedding heat from the body and into the air is a survival strategy for small mammals living in hot, arid environments. In the Sonoran Desert, the black-tail jackrabbit usually has 2 babies per litter and an adult female may have several litters per year. Baby jackrabbits have to live fast in an environment full of predators. They are born fully furred, eyes open, and ready to run within an hour after birth! The black-tail jackrabbit is very important to the natural ecosystem of the Sonoran Desert. They are a consumer of desert vegetation and a food source for many animals such as golden eagles, hawks, owls, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, and even humans. A common food source for the Tohono O'odham, the black-tail jackrabbit and its cousin the antelope jackrabbit may have been commonly seen by colonists when they ventured away from the dense riparian forests along the Santa Cruz River.

Description

ASL / Audio Description for Footprints exhibit at the Anza Trail Cultural History Park in Tucson, AZ (JACK RABBIT)

Duration

1 minute, 54 seconds

Credit

AZFLIS

Date Created

01/05/2023

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