Amami rabbit
| Amami rabbit | |
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| Taxidermy specimen of Amami Rabbit at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo, Japan. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: |
Pentalagus Lyon, 1904 |
| Species: | P. furnessi |
| Binomial name | |
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Pentalagus furnessi (Stone, 1900) |
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| Amami rabbit range | |
The Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi; Amami: [ʔosaɡi]), or Amamino kuro usagi (アマミノクロウサギ 奄美野黒兔?, lit. "Amami wild black rabbit"), also known as the Ryukyu rabbit, is a primitive, dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture (but actually closer to Okinawa) in Japan. Often called a living fossil, the Amami rabbit is a living remnant of ancient rabbits that once lived on the Asian mainland, where they died out, remaining only on the two small islands where they survive today.
The Amami rabbit has short hind legs and feet, a somewhat bulky body, and rather large and curved claws used for digging and sometimes climbing. Its ears are also significantly smaller than those of other rabbits or hares. The pelage is thick, wooly and dark brown on top and becomes more reddish-brown on the sides. The eyes are also small compared to more common rabbits and hares. The average weight is 2.5–2.8 kg.
The ideal habitat for these rabbits is in an area between mature and young forests. They use the dense mature forests as protection and for the presence of acorns for their diets. They also use the high density of perennial grasses and herbaceous ground cover in the young forests for their diets during different times of the year. Therefore, the best habitat for them to live in is where they have easy access to both young and mature forests with no obstructions between the two forest types.
Using fecal pellet counts and resident surveys, the number of rabbits is estimated at 2000–4800 left on Amami Island and 120–300 left on Tokuno Island.
This species is a nocturnal forest-dweller that reproduces once in late March–May and once in September–December, having one or two young each time. The mother digs a hole in the ground for them to hide in during the day. At night, the mother opens the entrance to the hole, while watching for predators (such as venomous snakes), and then nurses her young, after which she closes the hole with soil and plant material by thumping on it with her front paws. Amami rabbits sleep during the day in hidden places, such as caves. They are also noted for making calling noises, which sound something like the call of a pika.
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Wikipedia