Pygmy Rabbit

While we were parked at Owyhee State Park, we saw this cute little pygmy rabbit. They are the smallest rabbit I have seen.

The pygmy rabbit... more

by Robert Bales

Title

Pygmy Rabbit

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

While we were parked at Owyhee State Park, we saw this cute little pygmy rabbit. They are the smallest rabbit I have seen.

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[further explanation needed]. 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. One isolated population, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Federal government, though the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as lower risk.

The pygmy rabbit is the world's smallest leporid, with mean adult weights from 375 to about 500 grams (0.827 to about 1.102 lb), and a body length from 23.5 to 29.5 centimeters (9.3 to 11.6 in); 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 range of the pygmy rabbit includes most of the Great Basin and some of the adjacent intermountain areas of the western United States. Pygmy rabbits are found in southwestern Montana from the extreme southwest corner near the Idaho border north to Dillon and Bannack in Beaverhead County. Distribution continues west to southern Idaho and southern Oregon and south to northern Utah, northern Nevada, and eastern California. Isolated populations occur in east-central Washington[ and Wyoming.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uploaded

May 25th, 2017