Nevada mammals

Mountain Cottontail in Nevada

Sylvilagus nuttallii

Native to Nevada S5 Secure in Nevada

Not listed as nonindigenous in Nevada by USGS NAS; native to its Nevada 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.

Mountain cottontail in dry western woodland edgeMountain cottontail tucked under a low structureMountain cottontail feeding in green grassMountain cottontail crouched near a curb and planted coverMountain cottontail near a building and low vegetation
Photo: Kathlin Simpkins · CC0Mountain cottontail in dry western woodland edgePhoto: Pam Hardy · CC BY 4.0Mountain cottontail tucked under a low structurePhoto: Jennie Lawrence · CC BY 4.0Mountain cottontail feeding in green grassPhoto: Grant Chovil · CC BY 4.0Mountain cottontail crouched near a curb and planted coverPhoto: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0Mountain cottontail near a building and low vegetation

Mountain Cottontail in Nevada, by the numbers

Occasional in Nevada 49th most recorded of 142 mammals logged in Nevada

295 occurrence records
138 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 30, 2026 Last seen in Nevada

Records from 2000–2026.

295 total records count every Nevada occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 291; the monthly chart covers the 291 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Mountain Cottontail in Nevada

Most sightings fall in June to July.

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

Monthly Nevada records (table)
MonthRecords
January11
February10
March10
April22
May30
June64
July69
August20
September10
October16
November10
December19

Monthly mountain cottontail occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Nevada, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Nevada, with recorded sightings peaking in June–July.

Occurrence map

Where Mountain Cottontail has been recorded in Nevada

291 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

291 Nevada records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Toiyabe National Forest 69
Great Basin National Park 7
Basin and Range National Monument 5
Humboldt National Forest 3
South Fork State Recreation Area 2
High Schells Wilderness 1
Fort Churchill State Historic Park 1
Mt. Rose Wilderness 1

Protected places with the most mountain 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 Nevada

CountyRecords
Washoe County 106
Elko County 42
Nye County 24
White Pine County 23
Douglas County 22
Humboldt County 17
Lincoln County 10
Carson City County 9
Churchill County 8
Lander County 7
Storey County 5
Mineral County 5
5 other counties 17

The complete county distribution, spread across 17 Nevada counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Nevada records for the mountain cottontail are anchored by Great Basin National Park and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. They show where people have reported it, not how many animals live there.

These sites tie the Nevada record pattern to the state’s long mountain spine. Records from separate ranges matter because Nevada’s high country is broken into isolated peaks. The strongest reporting falls in summer, when Nevada’s high country is easiest to reach but low deserts are hottest. That may shape where observers submit records.

The file combines 138 research-grade iNaturalist records and 248 GBIF records. Those 386 records measure documented encounters, not Nevada’s population size. It’s native to Nevada. Nevada doesn’t specifically list it under the state’s conservation framework, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Mountain Cottontail in other states

View all states →

Mountain cottontail in dry western woodland edge
Full species profile Mountain Cottontail Sylvilagus nuttallii Size 27.9–38.1 cm11–15 in Weight 0.6–1.1 kg1.3–2.4 lb Lifespan Up to 7.4 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Nevada 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"