The swamp rabbit is similar in appearance to the cottontail but is considerably larger and darker. Its ears are relatively shorter and rounder than the cottontail's; the hind feet are reddish-brown above; and the nape of the neck is only slightly reddish. Small swamp rabbits are about the size of the largest cottontails, ranging in length from 18-22 inches and weighing 2½ to 6½ pounds.
Swamp rabbits occur statewide but are generally scarce in upland regions. They are locally abundant along the Illinois, White and Black Rivers in the Ozarks, and more common in the Delta and Gulf Coastal Plains bottoms.