Baby Rabbits Specimen Set

Year: 2014
Mintage: 17,500

One of North America’s most common rabbit species, the brown and grey-coloured eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) can be found in rural and urban areas within southern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. While gardeners and farmers may bemoan the cottontail’s appetite for flowers and vegetables, animal lovers of all ages delight in the sight of this mammal with a cotton ball-like tail, as it forages and scampers through green spaces, yards and grassy fields.

Cottontails are solitary animals that are most active from dusk until dawn. Out of necessity, they’re fast! Their quick bursts of speed and a zigzag running pattern is one of the species’ few defence mechanisms against such predators as hawks, owls, coyotes, weasels and even humans.

Remarkably, young rabbits (known as kits) are born blind and largely hairless, with a birth weight of less than 28 grams each. In preparation for the birth, the female (or doe) creates a shallow nest in the ground and lines it with her fur. In the wild, the doe can deliver up to seven litters per year throughout her three- to five-year lifespan, with each litter averaging five kits. Despite their vulnerability at birth, these young cottontails grow quickly and by the seventh week, they’re ready to venture out into the world all on their own.

A wonderful gift to begin a young person’s coin collection, and a unique learning tool that teaches them about Canada’s wildlife.