California mammals

White-tailed Jackrabbit in California

Lepus townsendii

Native to California SNR Unranked in California

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

White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)White tailed jackrabbit on snowWhite-tailed jackrabbit FWS 18505White-tailed JackrabbitSeveral white-tailed jackrabbits resting under bare trees at a grassland edge in late winter
Photo: Connormah · CC BY-SA 2.0White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)Photo: Biggins Dean, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainWhite tailed jackrabbit on snowPhoto: Tom Koerner / USFWS · Public domainWhite-tailed jackrabbit FWS 18505Photo: Adam Lowe · CC BY-SA 3.0White-tailed JackrabbitPhoto: John Krampl · CC BY 4.0Several white-tailed jackrabbits resting under bare trees at a grassland edge in late winter

White-tailed Jackrabbit in California, by the numbers

Occasional in California 128th most recorded of 241 mammals logged in California

213 occurrence records
167 with iNaturalist photos

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the White-tailed Jackrabbit in California

Most sightings fall in June to August.

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

Monthly California records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February7
March8
April10
May9
June38
July53
August37
September27
October9
November7
December6

Monthly white-tailed jackrabbit occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in California, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in California, with recorded sightings peaking in June–August.

Occurrence map

Where White-tailed Jackrabbit has been recorded in California

213 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

213 California records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Yosemite National Park 23
Carson-Iceberg Wilderness 14
John Muir Wilderness 10
Kings Canyon National Park 8
Golden Trout Wilderness 7
Inyo National Forest 6
Ansel Adams Wilderness 5
White Mountains Wilderness 5

Protected places with the most white-tailed jackrabbit 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 California

CountyRecords
Mono County 86
Alpine County 32
Tuolumne County 30
Inyo County 21
Fresno County 15
Tulare County 9
Modoc County 7
Mariposa County 5
Lassen County 5
El Dorado County 1
Placer County 1
Los Angeles County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 12 California counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

California’s combined state files contain 361 White-tailed Jackrabbit records: 167 from iNaturalist and 194 from GBIF. It ranks 128th among 243 mammals in this California record comparison, placing it in the middle third. That’s a ranking of submitted records, not a head count of animals.

The monthly series reaches its high point in July, with 42 records in the busiest month. Records appear in 12 of 12 months, so the pattern shows when sightings were documented, not when the species must be present or absent.

California accounts for about 18% of the mapped GBIF records summarized on the national White-tailed Jackrabbit page. That’s a modest share of the known record footprint, though differences in survey effort can strongly shape the percentage.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

White-tailed Jackrabbit in other states

View all states →

White-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii)
Full species profile White-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus townsendii Size 45–65 cm1.5–2.1 ft Weight 2.6–4.3 kg5.7–9.5 lb Lifespan Up to 8 yr View the full profile

More mammals in California 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"