Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit
Smaller and darker than mainland marsh rabbits, this Lower Keys endemic feeds along saltmarsh, buttonwood, and freshwater vegetation near dense escape cover.
Artwork inspired by Mary Ann Carroll
The Lower Keys marsh rabbit occupies narrow wetland bands that are easily fragmented by roads, fill, development, and rising salt water. Cats and other predators can concentrate pressure where cover is broken.
Rabbits emerge most often around twilight and may freeze before bolting into vegetation. Stay on roads and trails, control pets, and use a quiet distant view rather than forcing an animal across exposed ground.
- Global range
- Lower Florida Keys
- Habitat
- Marsh and buttonwood edge
- Peak activity
- Dawn and dusk
Quick guide
- Look low at twilight
- Scan wetland edges for compact dark rabbits close to cover.
- Read the tail
- A dusky underside differs from the bright white flash of a cottontail.
Recognize it through habitat and behavior
- Look low at twilight
- Scan wetland edges for compact dark rabbits close to cover.
- Read the tail
- A dusky underside differs from the bright white flash of a cottontail.
- Protect dense edges
- Buttonwood and marsh vegetation provide food and escape routes.
- Control pets
- Free-roaming cats and dogs are serious island predators.
Good to know
It is not the same animal as the widespread eastern cottontail. A dark tail underside, wetland setting, and Lower Keys location are useful clues, not proof from a blurry photograph.