North Dakota mammals

Desert Cottontail in North Dakota

Sylvilagus audubonii

Native to North Dakota SNR Unranked in North Dakota

Not listed as nonindigenous in North Dakota by USGS NAS; native to its North Dakota range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Desert cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii) (5-13-11) patagonia lake, scc, az -01 (5720663856)Sylvilagus audubonii on rocksDesert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)Sylvilagus audubonii sittingDesert cottontail sitting in dappled shade beneath brush
Photo: ALAN SCHMIERER · CC0Desert cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii) (5-13-11) patagonia lake, scc, az -01 (5720663856)Photo: Holly Cheng · CC BY-SA 3.0Sylvilagus audubonii on rocksPhoto: Holly Cheng · CC BY-SA 3.0Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii)Photo: Holly Cheng · CC BY-SA 3.0Sylvilagus audubonii sittingPhoto: John G. Phillips · CC BY 4.0Desert cottontail sitting in dappled shade beneath brush

Desert Cottontail in North Dakota, by the numbers

Occasional in North Dakota 42nd most recorded of 92 mammals logged in North Dakota

44 occurrence records
34 with iNaturalist photos
Oct 2, 2024 Last seen in North Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Desert Cottontail in North Dakota

Most sightings fall in June to September.

44 North Dakota occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly North Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February1
March0
April1
May4
June8
July9
August10
September6
October2
November1
December2

Monthly desert cottontail occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in North Dakota, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in North Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in June–September.

Occurrence map

Where Desert Cottontail has been recorded in North Dakota

44 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

44 North Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Theodore Roosevelt National Park 24
Little Missouri National Grassland 2

Protected places with the most desert cottontail sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in North Dakota

CountyRecords
Billings County 31
McKenzie County 5
Bowman County 3
Golden Valley County 2
Williams County 1
Stark County 1
Slope County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 7 North Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Desert cottontails carry no NatureServe state rank in North Dakota, SNR unranked, and the record splits fairly evenly between iNaturalist (34) and GBIF (38), a mix suggesting both casual sightings and survey data document this Badlands-edge rabbit about equally. Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s 10 logged sightings, nearly a quarter of the state total, anchor the species’ core North Dakota range at the northeastern edge of its distribution.

Records build steadily from May through August, peaking at 10 sightings in August, tracking the summer months when this southern-range species is most active and visitor traffic through the Badlands is heaviest.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Desert Cottontail in other states

View all states →

Desert cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii) (5-13-11) patagonia lake, scc, az -01 (5720663856)
Full species profile Desert Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii Size 35–43 cm13.8–16.9 in Weight 0.7–1.2 kg1.5–2.6 lb Lifespan 2 yr View the full profile

More mammals in North Dakota in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"