The black-tailed jackrabbit is slightly smaller than the white-tailed jackrabbit but considerably larger than the snowshoe hare. In conformation, it is much like the white-tailed jackrabbit.

West of the Cascade Range, the dorsal hairs of this rabbit have gray blending to dark-brown or blackish base followed by a narrow band of buff and a black tip. Hairs on the throat, sides, and rump have gray bases blending to buff with short black tips. On the venter, hairs are white with light pinkish-buff tips. The tail is black on the dorsum and dark buff on the venter. The ears are dark buff peppered with black and blending to black at the tip. The feet are mostly white with splotches of buff dorsally. Overall, the coloration is dark buff shading to black on the dorsum. In summer, the pelage is much lighter; black bands on hairs are shorter.

East of the Cascade Range, the light-colored bands on the dorsal hairs are almost white instead of buff and the dark-colored bands are much narrower. The overall appearance of the pelage in winter is similar to that of the summer pelage west of the Cascade Range but are grizzled. The feet are much darker and the dorsal surface of the tail has more black.

In Oregon, the black-tailed jackrabbit is found west of the Cascade Range only in the Rogue, Umpqua and Willamette valleys. East of the Cascade Range, it occurs throughout the sagebrush regions. It uses a variety of habitats within its range.

Photo by Bob Petit