9/20/2023 0 Comments Rabbit predatorsDuring winter the rabbits make tunnels in the snow to search for food. These allow convenient travel and also serve as escape routes. The rabbit creates extensive runways through sagebrush thickets. If the soil is too hard or shallow for burrow construction, natural cavities or burrows made by larger animals are used by the rabbit. The maximum depth of a pygmy rabbit burrow is around 1 m (3.3 ft.). Burrows are often found on north or east-facing slopes and have from 2 to 10 (typically 4 to 5) separate entrances. The pygmy rabbit is the only rabbit species in the United States known to dig its own burrow. Even when foraging, the pygmy rabbit typically stays within 100 m (330 ft.) of its burrow. During the day, the rabbit is likely to be found resting either inside or near its burrow. The pygmy rabbit may be active at any time of day or night, but activity tends to peak at dawn and dusk. The species seeks food and shelter in dense vegetation and is seldom, if ever, encountered in open areas. It is also found in areas dominated by other plants, such as rabbitbrush and various other brush and grass species. The pygmy rabbit is strongly associated with sagebrush. Pygmy Rabbit Habitat Typical pygmy rabbit habitat. This reduction mirrors the disappearance of sagebrush cover over the last 3,000 years. The pygmy rabbit’s present range is smaller than its historical range. (There are several different sagebrush species. The range of the pygmy rabbit corresponds to the availability of dense sagebrush, a woody shrub found in west North America. In California it is present at elevations of between 1,520 and 1,615 m (4,987 and 5,299 ft.). In Nevada, the species is found at elevations of between 1,370 and 2,135 m (4,495 and 7,005 ft.). The species is present in California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Isolated populations exist in Wyoming and east-central Washington. The species’ range covers most of the Great Basin – a large arid area of western USA – and expands into surrounding areas. The pygmy rabbit is native to the western United States. In the video below, you can see a pygmy rabbit come face to face with one of its main predators: the long-tailed weasel. The ears have white margins and the tail lacks the white coloring typical in other rabbits.įemale pygmy rabbits are 1-10% larger than males. The pygmy rabbit’s dense coat ranges in color from dark gray to brown. In addition to its small size, the pygmy rabbit is distinctive in having short, round ears, and small hind legs in relation to body size. What Does The Pygmy Rabbit Look Like? Small size and relatively short, round ears are two distinctive characteristics of the pygmy rabbit. This classification reflects the species’ physical differences to both hares (genus Lepus) and cottontails (genus Sylvilagus). The pygmy rabbit is the only species in the genus Brachylagus. The pygmy rabbit’s tail measures just 0.6 to 0.9 in. (29.5 cm) that’s around 2/3 the size of the eastern cottontail (North America’s commonest rabbit). This diminutive lagomorph reaches a total length of around 11.6 in. The pygmy rabbit is the world’s smallest rabbit species.
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