Pygmy Rabbit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pygmy Rabbit[1] | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Brachylagus Miller, 1900 |
| Species: | B. idahoensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Brachylagus idahoensis (Merriam, 1891) |
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The Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a North American rabbit, and is one of only two rabbit species in America to dig its own burrow. The Pygmy Rabbit differs significantly from species within either the Lepus (hare) or Sylvilagus (cottontail) genera and is generally considered to be within the monotypic genus Brachylagus.
Although it is listed as an endangered species in the Columbia Basin of the Pacific Northwest in the United States, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as lower risk. This is because the Columbia Basin population is a genetically distinct isolated relict population well on its way to evolving into a distinct subspecies, whereas the IUCN only considers species as a whole.
The Pygmy Rabbit is the smallest leporid in North America, with mean adult weights from 375 to about 500 grams (0.8 to 1.1 pounds), and a body length from 23.5 to 29.5 centimeters (9¼ to 11½ inches); females are slightly larger than males. The pygmy rabbit is distinguishable from other leporids by its small size, short ears, gray color, small hind legs, and lack of white fur on the tail.
The Pygmy Rabbit is typically found in areas of tall, dense sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) cover, and are highly dependent on sagebrush to provide both food and shelter throughout the year. The historic distribution of the Pygmy Rabbit included much of the semi-arid, shrub steppe region of the Great Basin and adjacent intermountain zones of the conterminous western United States, and included portions of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, and Washington.
The last male purebred Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit, found only in Douglas County, Washington, died March 30, 2006, at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. The last purebred female died in 2008.[3] A crossbreeding program conducted by the Oregon Zoo, Washington State University and Northwest Trek is attempting to preserve the genetic line by breeding surviving females with the Idaho Pygmy Rabbit. [4]
[edit] Listing Status
On September 26, 2007, Judge Edward Lodge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho granted litigant party Western Watersheds Project summary judgment remanding the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 90-day finding denying conservationist parties' listing petition. The petition sought legal protection for Pygmy Rabbit as as endangered or threatened species.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Hoffmann, Robert S.; Andrew T. Smith (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 194. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3.
- ^ Lagomorph Specialist Group (1996). Brachylagus idahoensis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 2006-05-11.
- ^ National Geographic - Editor's Note - January 2009
- ^ Captive breeding offers hope for near-extinct pygmy rabbits
- ^ Standard for Listing Petitions & Evaluation of Threats to the Pygmy Rabbit fulltext
[edit] External links
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pygmy Rabbit
- Article on Washington State University's pygmy rabbit breeding and release program, with photos and videos
- Fish and Wildlife Science Magazine, article on captive breeding program for pygmy rabbits (with several photos)
- Western Watersheds Project
