Pygmy rabbit

Pygmy rabbit[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Brachylagus
Species:
B. idahoensis
Binomial name
Brachylagus idahoensis
(Merriam, 1891)
Pygmy rabbit range
(blue – native, pink – reintroduced)
Synonyms

Lepus idahoensis Merriam, 1891[3] Lepus (Brachylagus) idahoensis[4] Microlagus idahoensis[1]
Sylvilagus idahoensis[1]

The pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a rabbit species native to the United States. It is also the only native rabbit species in North America to dig its own burrow.[5][6] 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.

  1. ^ a b c Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ^ Rachlow, J.; Becker, P.A.; Shipley, L. (2016). "Brachylagus idahoensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T2963A45176206. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T2963A45176206.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. ^ Merriam, C. Hart (1891). "Results of a Biological Reconnoissance of south-central Idaho". North American Fauna. 5: 76–78.
  4. ^ Miller, Gerrit S., Jr. (1900). "General Notes: A new subgenus for Lepus idahoensis". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 13: 157.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Silberstein, Maya. "Leporidae (hares and rabbits)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  6. ^ "Pygmy rabbit". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-21.