Volcano Rabbit

Volcano Rabbit

Teporingo, Zacatuche

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Romerolagus diazi
Population size
7,085
Life Span
7-9 years
Weight
390-600
13.8-21.2
goz
g oz 
Length
27-36
10.6-14.2
cminch
cm inch 

The volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi ), also known as teporingo or zacatuche, is a small rabbit that resides in the mountains of Mexico. It is the world's second-smallest rabbit, second only to the pygmy rabbit. It has small rounded ears, short legs, and short, thick fur and weighs approximately 390–600 g (0.86–1.3 lb). It has a life span of 7 to 9 years. The volcano rabbit lives in groups of 2 to 5 animals in burrows (underground nests) and runways among grass tussocks. The burrows can be as long as 5 m and as deep as 40 cm. There are usually 2 to 3 young per litter, born in the burrows. In semi-captivity, however, they do not make burrows and the young are born in nests made in the grass tussocks.

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Unlike many species of rabbits (and similar to pikas), the volcano rabbit emits very high-pitched sounds instead of thumping its feet on the ground to warn other rabbits of danger. It is crepuscular and is highly active during twilight, dawn and all times in between. Populations have been estimated to have approximately 150–200 colonies with a total population of 1,200 individuals over their entire range.

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Cr

Crepuscular

Di

Diurnal

He

Herbivore

Gr

Graminivore

Co

Coprophage

Fo

Folivore

Te

Terrestrial

Al

Altricial

Bu

Burrowing

Ju

Jumping

Gr

Grazing

So

Social

Do

Dominance hierarchy

No

Not a migrant

V

starts with

Appearance

The Volcano rabbit is a small endangered rabbit that lives in the mountains of Mexico. It is the world's second-smallest rabbit, second only to the pygmy rabbit. It has small rounded ears, short legs, and short, thick fur that ranges in color from brown to black.

Distribution

Geography

Volcano rabbits are found only in Mexico. They are specifically native to four volcanoes just south and east of Mexico City, the largest of these volcanic regions is within the Izta-Popo National Park, other areas include the Chichinautzin and Pelado volcanos. Volcano rabbits are usually found at higher altitudes and occur in open pine forests, open pine woodland, and mixed alder pine forest, and grasslands. They are more abundant near tall, dense herbs and thick vegetation.

Volcano Rabbit habitat map

Climate zones

Volcano Rabbit habitat map

Habits and Lifestyle

Volcano rabbits are social animals. They live in groups of 2 to 5 individuals in underground burrows that can be as long as 5 m and as deep as 40 cm. They also create runways among grass tussocks to navigate their habitat. The rabbits not only feed on these tall grasses but also use these plants as cover to hide from predators. Volcano rabbits are crepuscular and are highly active during twilight, dawn, and all times in between. In order to warn other rabbits of danger, they emit very high-pitched sounds instead of thumping their feet on the ground.

Group name
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Volcano rabbits are herbivores (graminivores) and feed primarily on grasses which are abundant during wet seasons. During the dry season, they typically feed on shrubs and small trees, as well as other woody plants. Their diet also includes leaves, foliage, and flowers.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
year-round, peak in March-early July
PREGNANCY DURATION
38-42 days
BABY CARRYING
2-3 kittens
INDEPENDENT AGE
3 weeks
FEMALE NAME
doe
MALE NAME
buck
BABY NAME
kitten

Volcano rabbits breed throughout the year but the peak usually occurs between March and early July. After a gestation period of 38-42 days, the female gives birth to 2-3 young per litter. Baby rabbits are born blind but covered in fur. They remain in the burrow for about 3 weeks and become reproductively mature at 4 months old.

Population

Population threats

The main threats to the Volcano rabbit include logging, harvesting of grasses, livestock grazing, habitat destruction, urban expansion, highway construction, and too frequent forest fires. More recent threats include unsound management policies of its habitat in National Parks and outside, mainly by afforestation (planting trees in grasslands where they do not belong). These threats have resulted in a loss of 15-20% of the Volcano rabbit’s habitat during the last three generations. Hunting is another serious threat, despite the fact that it is illegal to hunt Volcano rabbits under Mexican law.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Volcano rabbit is 7,085 individuals. These include 1,811 individuals in Pelado, 1,816 individuals in Tlaloc, 3,458 individuals in Izta-Popo, and approximately 3,056 individuals for the surrounding areas. Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.

References

1. Volcano Rabbit on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano_rabbit
2. Volcano Rabbit on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19742/45180356

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