We're Crepuscular: long-eared neighbors Traditional Geocache
We're Crepuscular: long-eared neighbors
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This cache contains two of the clues needed to find Lagomorph: the final.
Wild rabbits are crepuscular, meaning they are most active during dawn and twilight. Central Wisconsin is home to two species of lagomorphs: the Eastern Cottontail and the Snowshoe Hare.
We have a love/hate relationship with the cottontails that inhabit our yard. The ones we watch nibbling dandelions in the lawn are cute bunnies. When we wake up the next day to find that the flowers and lettuce seedlings have been chewed off, those were the d**n rabbits. Our solution is to plant most of our garden in pots, out of rabbits' reach.
The EASTERN COTTONTAIL (Sylvilagus floridanus) weighs 2-4 pounds when grown. Diet is vegetarian, consisting of grass and herbaceous plants in summer and bark and buds in winter. Unlike Old World domestic rabbits, cottontails do not dig burrows, though they may use burrows abandoned by other animals. A nest is usually a shallow depression which the doe lines with soft grass and fur from her belly. Gestation is 28 days, and the average litter is five kits. Though they are born blind and furless, the kits are mostly weaned and on their own in three weeks. They can breed and start their own families in three months, and mom can have 3-4 litters per year.
Like most prey animals, cottontails have a short life expectancy. They face many threats: natural predators such as hawks, owls, and coyotes; disease; plus the dangers of human civilization such as cats, dogs, cars, traps, hunting, and poisoning. It is a rare and fortunate cottontail that lives to celebrate its third birthday.
SNOWSHOE HARES (Lepus americanus) live in coniferous forests with a dense understory. They eat grass, twigs, and also tips of evergreen branches. In summer they resemble cottontails but with longer legs and very large feet. In winter their brownish summer coats gradually change to snowy white, with black tips on their ears. If you are out skiing or snowshoeing in the woods in winter you may spot a snowshoe hare, but you will probably only see their tracks because they are very well camouflaged.
Resources manager Thomas J. Witt has given permission for placing this cache on Consolidated Water Power Company land. No motorized vehicles are permitted.
PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE DOWN THE DIRT ROAD! It looks good at the beginning but it gets worse and worse with no turnarounds.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)