WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RABBITS (INCLUDING COTTONTAILS) AND HARES (INCLUDING JACKRABBITS)?

First of all, rabbits and hares (and pica) are not rodents, they are lagomorphs (among other differences, lagomorphs have 4 upper incisors compared to 2 in rodents). Rabbits (including cottontails) are generally smaller than hares and give birth to altricial young that blind, naked, relatively helpless offspring that spend their first couple of weeks in a nest (a depression lined with grass and fur). In contrast, hares (including jackrabbits) give birth to precocial young that have their eyes open and fur on and are able to follow their mother around shortly after birth (no nest).