the.com/cottontail
A rabbit's built-in surrender flag, flashed only after it's already too late to catch it.
means A wild rabbit of the Americas, named for the puffy white underside of its tail, which flashes into view as it bounds away.
from A straightforward 19th-century American compound — cotton plus tail — describing exactly what you see: a fluffy white tuft resembling a tuft of cotton. No hidden story here, just plain-spoken naming of the obvious feature, the same way 'bluebird' or 'redhead' got their names.
- Genus
- Sylvilagus, not the same genus as jackrabbits
- The flash
- White underside hidden until it flees, confusing predators
- Nest style
- Shallow fur-lined scrape, not a burrow
- Peter Rabbit
- Beatrix Potter's hero is literally named Cottontail's brother