Rabbits get around by hopping. They have long ears. A cottontail rabbit has a short, fluffy tail like a cotton ball. Wild cottontail rabbits are brown or gray, with a white belly. Rabbits eat only plants. In winter, cottontails eat bark, twigs and buds.

A rabbit's front teeth never stop growing. Chewing hay helps wear down a rabbit's teeth. A frightened cottontail can run up to 18 miles per hour. It often zigzags as it goes. A rabbit may thump its back feet on the ground to warn of danger. A rabbit can see almost all the way around its head.

In the daytime, cottontails hide in thick bushes. A baby rabbit is called a kit. Baby cottontails are born with no fur. They cannot see. A mother cottontail lines her nest with grass and her own fur. A mother rabbit stays away from her nest most of the day. She visits only briefly to feed her babies.

A pet rabbit needs a lot of time and care. A pet rabbit can live for 8 to 12 years. Pet rabbits eat mostly hay. Pet rabbits need other rabbits for company. Never pick up a rabbit by its ears.

Words to know

• cottontail: wild rabbit
• kit: baby rabbit
• hay: dried grass
• thump: hit the ground