I was watching for a badger near Black Mesa State Park when a Black-tailed Jackrabbit crossed the road. It ran in front of my parked truck, then stopped beside a cactus. That pause gave me a chance to photograph it.
Black-tailed Jackrabbit Habitat in Western Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Panhandle is a good place to look for this species. According to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, black-tailed jackrabbits are most common in western Oklahoma. They inhabit open country, making the grasslands around Black Mesa a fitting setting for this encounter.
Despite its name, the black-tailed jackrabbit is a hare. It is also Oklahoma’s only jackrabbit species. Long, black-tipped ears and a tail with black on top help identify it. In my photograph, the upright ears stand out above its gray-brown coat.
These hares eat grasses and other green plants, adding woody twigs and bark during fall and winter. They obtain much of their water from the plants they eat. That helps them live in dry country like this part of Oklahoma.
Black-tailed jackrabbits tend to be most active around dusk and at night. During the day, they often rest in shallow hollows beneath vegetation. A daytime sighting is still possible, as this road crossing showed.
Photographing the Jackrabbit Beside a Cactus
My attention had been on the area where I photographed a badger the day before. I shared that encounter in My First Badger Photos at Black Mesa State Park.
This time, the movement across the road drew my attention. Once the jackrabbit stopped, I had a clear view of its head and ears. Grass covered part of its lower body, and a cactus stood behind it.
I like having that habitat in the photograph. The jackrabbit’s coat blends with the grass, while its long ears make it easier to pick out. The cactus also shows some of the surroundings where I found it.
Returning to the Badger Area
I had returned to watch a spot where I had already found wildlife worth photographing. The jackrabbit gave me another reason to pay attention to the ground around that roadside stop.
On one day, I photographed a badger there. The next day, I photographed a jackrabbit after it crossed in front of my truck. I enjoy having those two encounters to remember from the same area near Black Mesa.