Marsh rabbits are a Coastal Plain species through and through, and North Carolina’s records reflect that. The state’s densest reports come from the marshes, sounds, and wet thickets around Cape Hatteras National Seashore, not the inland mountains or Piedmont hills, since this rabbit’s whole life revolves around standing water and dense marsh vegetation.
Unlike the more familiar eastern cottontail, marsh rabbits swim readily and often escape danger by slipping into water rather than bolting overland. They build simple nests in dense marsh grass just above the waterline and browse on cattails, sedges, and other wetland plants, staying close enough to water to duck in whenever a predator gets too near.
North Carolina reports run year-round without a strong seasonal swing. That pattern fits a resident rabbit that uses the same wet habitat throughout the year instead of shifting elevation or range with the seasons, though it does not measure the size of the population.
