Black-tailed hare
Black-tailed hares (jackrabbits) use their huge ears both for acute hearing, and also as radiators to help get rid of body heat. They are usually shy and very alert -- understandable, as they are the favorite prey of numerous aerial and terrestrial predators. However, the one at upper right was both sleepy and unafraid when I encountered it along the Delicate Arch viewpoint trail in Arches National Park, Utah. After I took several pictures from about 2 meters distance, it casually got up, stretched, scratched, and wandered off under a bush. The other hares were photographed near Palm Desert, California.
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
