South Dakota mammals

White-tailed Jackrabbit in South Dakota

Lepus townsendii

Native to South Dakota S4 Apparently Secure in South Dakota

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

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 South Dakota, by the numbers

Occasional in South Dakota 40th most recorded of 100 mammals logged in South Dakota

115 occurrence records
55 with iNaturalist photos
May 15, 2026 Last seen in South Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

115 total records count every South Dakota occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 109; the monthly chart covers the 105 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the White-tailed Jackrabbit in South Dakota

Most sightings fall in May to July.

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

Monthly South Dakota records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February3
March2
April14
May16
June24
July17
August10
September6
October3
November2
December7

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

Seasonality

Year-round in South Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in May–July.

Occurrence map

Where White-tailed Jackrabbit has been recorded in South Dakota

109 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

109 South Dakota records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Badlands National Park 5
Black Hills National Forest 2
Round Bullhead 1
State Lands 1

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 South Dakota

CountyRecords
Pennington County 15
Harding County 15
Bennett County 10
Jackson County 10
Brookings County 6
Hughes County 6
Lawrence County 4
Lyman County 4
Todd County 3
Fall River County 3
Faulk County 3
Beadle County 2
24 other counties 34

The complete county distribution, spread across 36 South Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

White-tailed jackrabbits carry a NatureServe S4 apparently secure rank in South Dakota, and the record leans toward GBIF (104 records) over iNaturalist (55), nearly two to one, suggesting survey and specimen data document this open-country hare more thoroughly than casual sightings. Badlands National Park and Black Hills National Forest each contribute a single logged sighting, modest anchors for a species that ranges across the state’s shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie generally.

Records build sharply in April and May (21 of the year’s monthly-tallied sightings, more than a third of the total), tracking peak breeding-season activity, with zero records in January, when this hare’s white winter coat and reduced daytime movement make it harder to detect against snow-covered ground.

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 South 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"