Common tapeti, Brazilian cottontail, Forest cottontail
The tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis ) is a species of cottontail rabbit. As traditionally defined, its range extends from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, but this includes several distinctive population that have since been split into separate species. Under this narrower definition, the true tapeti only occurs in the Atlantic Rainforest of coastal northeastern Brazil and it is classified as "Endangered" by the IUCN. The American Society of Mammalogists concurs, but also tentatively classifies several distinct populations that have not yet received proper species names into S. brasiliensis, and thus considers it to range from Venezuela south to Argentina.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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JumpingJumping (saltation) can be distinguished from running, galloping, and other gaits where the entire body is temporarily airborne by the relatively l...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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BrowsingBrowsing is a type of herbivory in which an herbivore (or, more narrowly defined, a folivore) feeds on leaves, soft shoots, or fruits of high-growi...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe tapeti is a small- to a medium-sized rabbit. The color of its back is brown with a speckled appearance (resulting from the black hairs tips), and it has a rufous spot on its neck. Its belly and tail underside is also rufous.
Tapeti occur from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Their range extends from southern Tamaulipas in Mexico, south along the eastern coast of Mexico, through Guatemala, possibly El Salvador, Honduras, eastern Nicaragua, eastern Costa Rica, and Panama. These rabbits occur through the northern half of South America, including Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina, and much of Brazil. The southern tip of their known distribution occurs in Tucuman province. Tapeti live in tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, and second-growth forests close to swamps and along river edges. They can also be found in disturbed areas, such as gardens and plantations.
Tapeti are solitary animals that are usually seen after nightfall or before dawn; at this time they come out to feed on grass and browse. They move by hopping and walking and can swim when needed.
Tapeti are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). They feed on grasses, small shrubs, and bolete mushrooms.
Tapeti rabbits breed throughout the year and construct nests of dry grasses above the ground to rear their young. They have a central chamber and three or four smaller chambers at the end of a corridor. The gestation period varies with the geographical location. Rabbits in Chiapas, Mexico gestate for about 28 days, and have 3 to 8 offspring, while populations in the Páramos of the Andes gestate for 44 days, and have an average litter size of 1. The young are born precocial, with their eyes open, and are able to leave the nest when they are 12-18 days old.
Tapeti rabbits suffer from the loss of their native habitat, mainly due to deforestation and the growth of human settlements.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the tapeti total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
