My guess is that this is a baby Eastern cottontail rabbit that had just left its mother and is now on its own:
There is a chance it’s a rare New England Cottontail, but there is no way to tell the difference without an examination.
Cottontail kits leave the family at about four to five weeks of age, according to the literature. This one was only about five inches long and seemed stunned by a sudden rain shower. (As was I; we both were a mess).
Cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) are not rodents, they’re lagomorphs, an order that consists of rabbits, hares, and pikas. They also are the tasty prey or choice for many predators. One wildlife official calls cottontails “the protein pill of the animal kingdom” because 80 percent or more of their population usually is killed by predators during a year.
Cottontails are among the favorite prey of foxes, bobcats, coyotes, and domestic dogs. They and/or their very small young also are devoured by minks and other weasels, skunks, raccoons, house cats, hawks and owls, snakes, red squirrels, and even crows, among other animals. Human hunters and vehicle drivers also account for a good number of cottontail fatalities each year. You don’t want to be a cottontail
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 3, 2024.) See also the image in the first Comment space.