Bristle rabbit
| Bristle rabbit | ||||||||||||
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Bristle rabbit, illustration from 1845 |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Caprolagus | ||||||||||||
| Blyth , 1845 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Caprolagus hispidus | ||||||||||||
| ( Pearson , 1839) |
The bristle rabbit ( Caprolagus hispidus ) is a species of mammal from the rabbit family (Leporidae) living in Asia . Its original range covered the southern slopes of the Himalayas from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh via Nepal , Bhutan and Assam to Bangladesh . Today it only lives in isolated areas in north-western Assam and Nepal. One of the most important distribution areas today is the Nepalese Suklaphanta game reserve ; the species is also found in Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park .
features
The fur consists of a strikingly rough upper layer and a soft lower layer. It is colored dark brown on the top while the underside is whitish. The ears are relatively short and round, they are about seven centimeters long. The hind legs are hardly longer than the front legs. Bristle rabbits reach a head-trunk length of 38 to 50 centimeters and a weight of around 2.5 kilograms. The tail measures four to five centimeters.
Distribution and way of life
The species' habitat is primarily savannahs with grass that grows up to three meters high and nearby forests, to which the animals retreat during the monsoon months, as the grassland is then too watery. Presumably they do not build any burrows and are nocturnal. Their food should consist of grasses and their roots.
Systematics
The wild rabbit is assigned to the hares (Leporidae) as an independent species and monotypical genus . No subspecies are distinguished within the species.
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Phylogenetic systematics of the rabbits according to Matthee et al. 2004
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On the basis of molecular biological data, Conrad A. Matthee et al. In 2004 a cladogram was developed that shows the phylogenetic relationship of the genera within the hares to one another. According to this, the bristle rabbit is the sister species of the worldwide (European) wild rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) and forms a taxon with it . This is contrasted by a taxon from the Bushman hare ( Bunolagus monticularis ) and the Ryukyu rabbit ( Pentalagus furnessi ), while the cottontail rabbits ( Sylvilagus ) and the dwarf rabbit ( Brachylagus idahoensis ) that live in America represent the sister group of these four species.
Threat and protection
The bristle rabbit is one of the rarest mammals. In 1964 it was considered extinct before specimens were sighted again in 1966. After a specimen was last sighted in Chitwan National Park in 1984, a young animal groped into a photo trap there in 2018. It has disappeared from large parts of its original range and only occurs in isolated, non-contiguous areas. One reason for this is above all the destruction of its habitat for the establishment of plantations and pastures. Regular fires in the grasslands and dog stalking do the rest. According to an estimate from 2001, only 110 specimens of this species are still alive. It is listed as threatened by the IUCN .
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
- Tej Kumar Shrestha: Wildlife of Nepal - A Study of Renewable Resources of Nepal Himalayas. Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 2003, ISBN 99933-59-02-5
Web links
- Caprolagus hispidus inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: G. Maheswaran, Andrew T. Smith , 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
supporting documents
- ^ A b Tej Kumar Shrestha: Wildlife of Nepal - A Study of Renewable Resources of Nepal Himalayas. Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 2003, ISBN 99933-59-02-5 , p. 80 and p. 249
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Caprolagus hispidus ( Memento of September 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ^ A b Conrad A. Matthee, Bettine Jansen Van Vuuren, Diana Bell Terence J. Robinson: A Molecular Supermatrix of the Rabbits and Hares (Leporidae) Allows for the Identification of Five Intercontinental Exchanges During the Miocene. Systematic Biology 53 (3); Pp. 433-447. ( Abstract )
- ↑ Small mammal thought to be extinct rediscovered in Nepal's national park , March 15, 2018
- ↑ Bristle rabbits in Nepal hopped in front of a photo trap , March 17, 2018 (with photo)
- ↑ Caprolagus hispidus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Posted by: G. Maheswaran, Andrew T. Smith , 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2013.