CONTENTS

Living Organisms / Animalia / Craniata / Mammalia / Lagomorpha / Leporidae / Sylvilagus / Species

Sylvilagus brasiliensis - Tapeti (Click photographs/illustrations for full picture & further details)

INDEX - INFORMATION AVAILABLE

Alternative Names (Synonyms)

Names for new-borns / juveniles

• Kitten (B285.w5b)

Names for males

• Buck (B285.w5d)

Names for females

• Doe (B605.1.w1)

General Appearance

Sylvilagus spp. General Information

• "All cottontails have relatively large ears and feet." (B605.5.w5)

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information

• Small to medium-sized rabbit with very short ears. (B605.5.w5)
• "Its color ranges from light grey to almost black dorsally, slightly lighter on the sides of the body and the tail, and a whitish belly except for a dark throat patch. The tail is dark ventrally." (B605.5.w5)

Newborn: --

Similar Species

Sexual Dimorphism

• Males are usually smaller than the females. (B147, B287)
  • In most Sylvilagus species, the females are between one and ten percent larger than the males. (B605.5.w5)

References

Species Authors & Referees

• See: DIRECTORY- Organisations working with Rabbits and their Relatives

• Rabbits, Hares and Pikas Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan
• See also: The Electronic Library- further reading for "Rabbits and their Relatives: Health & Management"

Husbandry Information

Notes

• --

Management Techniques

• Accommodation Design for Mammals
• Mammal Behavioural Requirements
• Food and Feeding for Mammals
• Mammal Handling & Movement
• Mammal Identification
• Preventative Medicine for Mammals
• Rearing of Mammals
• Reproductive Management of Mammals
• Management of Unwanted or Illegally Held Animals
• Hand-rearing Cottontail Rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.)

Measurement & Weight

Notes

LENGTH
Adult: 

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• 215-471mm. (B147)
• 25-45cm. (B285.w5c)
• Males are usually smaller than the females. (B147, B287)
  • In most Sylvilagus species, the females are between one and ten percent larger than the males. (B605.5.w5)

Newborns: --

HEIGHT
Adults and sub-adults: --
Juveniles: --

WEIGHT
Adult: --
Newborns: --

GROWTH RATE --

Head and Neck

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the majority of details below are from general lagomorph and leporid information.

GENERAL HEAD STRUCTURE:
Adult:

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information 

• This species has very short ears. (B605.5.w5)

Newborn: --

DENTITION:
Adult:

General Information

• Rabbits and hares have a total of 28 teeth. (B285.w5a)
  • The dental formula for rabbits and hares is i 2/1, c 0/0, pm 3/2, m 3/3 x 2 = 28. (B147, B285.w5a)
  • This differs slightly in Pentalagus furnessi - Amami rabbit, with the molars sometimes being 2/3. (B147, B623.w3)
• The lower tooth rows are closer together than the upper tooth rows. (B147)
• Lagomorphs differ from rodents by having two pairs of upper incisors rather than just the one pair. The additional set of incisors are called peg teeth and are found directly behind the long pair in the upper jaw. (B147, B285.w5a, B605.1.w1)
• At birth, lagomorphs actually have three pairs of upper incisors, but they quickly lose the outer incisor on each side. (B147)
• The incisors are covered completely by enamel. (B147)
• The upper incisors' roots are found in the skull's premaxillary bones. However, the length of the lower incisors' roots varies. (B147)
  • [Note: lagomorphs have teeth which grow throughout their lives. For this reason the portion of the teeth which is not exposed (not above the gum line) is strictly speaking not a "root"; however, it is sometimes convenient to describe it as a root.]
• The first upper incisors have a straight cutting edge. (B147)
• The peg teeth lack a cutting edge. (B147)

EYES:
Adult:

General Information

• Lagomorph eyes are positioned such that they allow for good broad-field vision. (B285.w5a)
• Hares and rabbits have large eyes which are adapted to both their crepuscular and nocturnal activity patterns. (B285.w5b)
• Leporids have "large eyes to increase visual acuity in dim light." (B430.w2)

Newborn: --

Legs, Spine and Tracks

Notes

• Short hind feet. (B605.5.w5)

Tail

Notes

• Dark tail. (B285.w5c)
• Underside is dark. (B147, B605.5.w5)
• "...markedly small to rudimentary tail." (B605.5.w5)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• 15 - 60 mm. (B147)
• 2.5 - 6 cm. (B285.w5c)

Skin / Coat / Pelage

Notes

Adult:

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information

• "Its color ranges from light grey to almost black dorsally, slightly lighter on the sides of the body and the tail, and a whitish belly except for a dark throat patch. The tail is dark ventrally." (B605.5.w5)
• Dark tail. (B285.w5c)
• The underside of the tail is dark. (B147)
• Two moults per year. (B285.w5c)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• No species within this genus are known to turn white in the winter. (B147)

Adult Colour variations: --

Newborn / Juvenile: --

Detailed Anatomy Notes
(Summary information provided for pertinent species-specific data cross-referenced in Wildpro)

Notes

Skull

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Species of this genus have an interparietal bone. (B605.5.w5)
• The skull has a highly fenestrated maxillary bone. (B605.5.w5)

Female reproductive tract

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Females have four or five pairs of mammae. (B147, B287)

Male reproductive tract

Lagomorph general information

• Male lagomorphs lack a baculum. (B147)
• Testes of lagomorphs are in the scrotum located in front of the penis. (B147)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Males have inguinal and coagulating glands. (B287)

Natural Diet

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the details below are from general lagomorph and cottontail information.

General Information

• Lagomorphs only eat vegetation, mainly grasses and other herbaceous plants. Bark from young trees and small shrub stems may be eaten when food supplies are scarce. (B147, B285.w5c, B430.w2)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Cottontails eat a wide variety of plants, the majority of which are herbaceous species. (B147, B285.w5c)
• During the winter months in colder regions, cottontails feed on the bark and twigs of woody vegetation. (B147, B285.w5c)

QUANTITY EATEN: --
STUDY METHODS: --

Hibernation / Aestivation

Notes

• Active year-round. (B147)

Haematology / Biochemistry

Notes

HAEMATOLOGY: --

BIOCHEMISTRY: --

Detailed Physiology Notes
(Summary information provided for pertinent species-specific data cross-referenced in WILDPro)

Notes

METABOLISM (TEMPERATURE): --

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM (RESPIRATION): --

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM (PULSE/HEART RATE): --

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM (FAECES AND GUT MOTILITY):

General Information

• Lagomorphs have digestive systems which are adapted for processing large quantities of vegetation. (B285.w5a)
• Lagomorphs are well adapted for obtaining the greatest possible value from their food. They produce two types of fecal material: moist pellets and dry pellets. The moist pellets are expelled and then eaten (a behaviour known as coprophagy (B285.w5a)); this is done with little or no chewing, and as a result the majority of the food passes through the digestive tract twice (this is thought to have the same function as 'chewing the cud' in ruminants). The dry faecal pellets are not eaten. (B147)

URINARY SYSTEM (URINE): --

CHROMOSOMES:

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information

• The following two karyotypes have been reported in this species:
  • 2n=36; FN=68.
  • 2n=40; FN=76.

  (B607.w20)

MUSCULO-SKELETAL SYSTEM: --

SPECIAL SENSES AND VOCALISATIONS:

General Information

• All lagomorphs use scent products secreted from special glands. (B285.w5a) These glands are located under the chins and in the groin, and are believed to play a key role in sexual communication, as well as in signalling social status in some gregarious species. (B285.w5b)
• Whereas pikas tend to be more vocal, rabbits and hares rely strongly on scent rather than sound as a means of communication. (B285.w5b)
• High-pitched distress squeals are emitted by leporids when captured by a predator, and specific alarm calls are produced in five rabbit species. (B285.w5b, B430.w2)
• Some rabbit species thump the ground with their hind feet when faced with danger (B285.w5b, B430.w2); this reaction is thought to be a warning to nestlings underground. (B285.w5b)
• The conspicuous white underside present on the tails of some rabbit species can act as a visual warning to other individuals when fleeing from a predator. These species tend to be found in more open habitats. (B285.w5b)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information

• Rarely vocalise. (B285.w5c)
• "Several species utter squeals and high-pitched calls of distress." (B147)

Feeding Behaviour

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the details below are from general lagomorph information.

• Lagomorphs are well adapted for obtaining the greatest possible value from their food. They produce two types of fecal material: moist pellets and dry pellets. The moist pellets are expelled and then eaten; this is done with little or no chewing, and as a result the majority of the food passes through the digestive tract twice (this is thought toe have the same function as 'chewing the cud' in ruminants). The dry faecal pellets are not eaten. (B147)

Parental Behaviour

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the details below are from general leporid and cottontail information.

General Information

• Male leporids are not generally involved in care of the young. However, if adult females attack young leporids, males will intervene, a behaviour known as 'policing'. (B285.w5b)
• Even maternal care of the young is not particularly prominent in leporids, hence this reproductive strategy is known as 'absentee parentism'. (B285.w5a)
• Leporids demonstrate an unusual system of nursing; the young are suckled only briefly (often less than five minutes) just once every 24 hours. (B285.w5b)
• It is thought that the lack of social contact between the mother and her young is a strategy which diminishes the chances of attracting the attention of predators. (B285.w5b)
• The entrances to breeding tunnels are carefully re-sealed following each bout of suckling (B285.w5b)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• The females of most species of Sylvilagus dig nest holes, about 100-150 mm deep and 120 mm wide; sometimes slanted, and both lined and covered with soft plant fibres and the female's own fur, which she plucks from her underside.  (B147)
• The female does not herself live in the nest. To feed the young she crouches over the nest, the kits climbing to the top of the nest to nurse. (B147)

Social Behaviour / Territoriality / Predation / Learning

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the details below are from general leporid and cottontail information.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR:

General Information

• Most North American leporid species are solitary, but congregations of these animals often occur in favoured feeding grounds. (B430.w2)
• Rabbits are solitary to gregarious. (B430.w2)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Most species within this genus are solitary. (B147)
• May chase off other individuals if they approach too closely. (B147)
• "Not colonial, but some species form social hierarchies in breeding groups." (B285.w5c)
• "Cottontail behavior is stereotyped and fairly consistent with other rabbit species." (B605.5.w5)

PREDATION: 

Predator Avoidance

• Rabbits use dense cover to hide from predators. (B285.w5b)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• When under threat from a predator, cottontails sit completely still and remain quiet, even when closely approached. They are capable of staying like this for 15 minutes if necessary. (B147)

POPULATION DENSITIES

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• "Population levels vary markedly between species and from year to year, depending on climate, habitat type and other factors." (B605.5.w5)
• Cottontails tend to be cyclic in abundance. (B605.5.w5)
• "Habitat is the key to cottontail abundance." (B605.5.w5)
  • Desert species: normal densities are thought to be less than one rabbit per hectare. (B605.5.w5)

HOME RANGES AND DISTANCES TRAVELLED

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• The home ranges of females are generally smaller than those of males. (B147)
• These species have stable home ranges of a few hectares which overlap. (B285.w5c)

TERRITORIALITY

General Information

• Ranges of individuals may overlap in favoured feeding grounds. (B285.w5b)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Not territorial. (B285.w5c)

Sexual Behaviour

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the details below are from general lagomorph and cottontail information.

• All lagomorphs use scent products secreted from special glands. (B285.w5a) These glands are located under the chins and in the groin, and are believed to play a key role in sexual communication, as well as in signalling social status in some gregarious species. (B285.w5b)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• "Several males may come together during the breeding season and pursue an estrous female." (B147)

Activity Patterns, Self-grooming and Navigation

Notes

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so the details below are from general leporid and cottontail information.

ACTIVITY PATTERNS:

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Active year-round. (B147)
• The majority of species move by characteristic bunny hopping. (B147)
• It is thought that all species are capable of swimming. (B147)

SELF-GROOMING: --

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM:

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Mostly nocturnal or crepuscular. (B147)
• Cottontails are sometimes seen during daylight hours. (B147)
• Active at night or during the day. (B285.w5c)

SPEED OF MOVEMENT:

• The North American leporids are able to escape predators by taking instant flight at high speed. (B430.w2)

NAVIGATION: --

General Habitat Type

Notes

• Forest and scrub. (B51)
• Venezuela: Moist evergreen forest. (B147)
• "In Mexico and Central America this species is mainly found in tropical forests, including rain, deciduous and second growth forests." (B605.5.w5)
• Known to be found in pastures near forested habitats. (B605.5.w5)
• "In Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, a representative habitat of the species in Mexico, the rain forest includes a well-developed canopy, with trees up to 50m high such as Brosimum alicastrum and Nectandra ambigens, and a sparse understory." (B605.5.w5)

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• The presence of escape cover is an essential habitat requirement for these species. (B605.5.w5)

Nests / Burrows / Shelters

Notes

Sylvilagus spp. General Information:

• Cottontails are not thought to dig burrows. (B147)
• Some species are known to make use of burrows made by other animals. (B147)
• Also take shelter in brush piles and forms. (B147)
• Several forms may be connected by flattened trails made through regular use of pathways. (B147)
• "All species occupy burrows made by other animals or inhabit available shelter or hide in vegetation." (B285.w5c)
• The females of most species of Sylvilagus dig nest holes, about 100 - 150 mm deep and 120 mm wide; sometimes slanted, and both lined and covered with soft plant fibres and the female's own fur, which she plucks from her underside.  (B147)
• The female does not herself live in the nest. To feed the young she crouches over the nest, the kits climbing to the top of the nest to nurse. (B147)

• The nests of this species are found above-ground, and are elaborately built using dry grasses. The nest has a central chamber, and three or four smaller chambers located at the end of a runway system. (B605.5.w5)

Distribution and Movement (Migration etc.)

Notes

• Found from northeastern Mexico to northern Argentina. (B51)
• Found from southern Tamaulipas in Mexico to Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, southern Brazil and Venezuela. (B285.w5c, B607.w20)
• Eastern Mexico to Argentina. (B147)
• The northernmost part of the range extends to southern Tamaulipas (Mexico). From there, the range extends southwards along Mexico's eastern coast and the Yucatan Peninsula ( includes Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche) to western Guatemala. This species is thought to be found southwards to El Salvador. It is also found in Honduras, eastern Costa Rica, the eastern half of Nicaragua, and Panama. (B605.5.w5)
• "Forest rabbits occur throughout South America except at high altitudes above snow line and in the Patagonian region south of the Argentine Chaco." (B605.5.w5)
• "Little is known about the species distribution in the Amazonian Region." (B605.5.w5)
• Detailed studies of this species have only been conducted in the Paramos of Venezuela, despite its widespread distribution. (B605.5.w5)

Species variation

Notes

• South of the Isthmus of Panama:
  • Sylvilagus braziliensis. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus nigricaudatus. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus tapeti. (B607.w20)
• This species formerly included dicei [Sylvilagus dicei - Dice's cottontail]. (B607.w20)
• The subspecies gabbi was once considered to be a distinct species. (B607.w20)

Currently recognised subspecies include:

• South of Isthmus of Panama:
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis brasiliensis including Sylvilagus brasiliensis braziliensis, Sylvilagus brasiliensis nigricaudatus, Sylvilagus brasiliensis tapeti. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis andinus: including Sylvilagus brasiliensis canarius; Sylvilagus brasiliensis carchensis; Sylvilagus brasiliensis chimbanus; Sylvilagus brasiliensis ecaudatus; Sylvilagus brasiliensis nivicola. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis apollinaris. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis capsalis. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis caracasensis. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis chillae. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis chotanus. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis defilippi: including Sylvilagus brasiliensis defilippii; Sylvilagus brasiliensis dephilippii [lapsus]. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis fulvescens: including Sylvilagus brasiliensis fuscescens [lapsus]; Sylvilagus brasiliensis nicefori; Sylvilagus brasiliensis salentus. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis gibsoni. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis inca. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis kelloggi. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis meridensis. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis minensis. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis paraguensis: including Sylvilagus brasiliensis chapadae; Sylvilagus brasiliensis chapadensis; Sylvilagus brasiliensis paraguensis. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis peruanus. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis sanctaemartae. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis surdaster: including Sylvilagus brasiliensis daulensis; Sylvilagus brasiliensis messorius. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis tapetillus. (B607.w20)
• North of Isthmus of Panama:
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis gabbi: including Sylvilagus brasiliensis consobrinus; Sylvilagus brasiliensis incitatus; Sylvilagus brasiliensis tumacus. (B607.w20)
  • Sylvilagus brasiliensis truei. (B607.w20)

Previously recognised subspecies include:

• Sylvilagus brasiliensis andinus. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis appollinaris. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis brasiliensis. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis canarius.(B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis capsalis.(B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis caracsensis. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis chillae. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis chotanus. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis consobrinus. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis defilippi. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis fulvescens. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis gabbi. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis gibsoni. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis inca. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis kelloggi. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis meridensis. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis mimensis. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis paraquensis. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis peruanus. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis sanctaemartae. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis surdaster. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis tapetillus. (B605.5.w5)
• Sylvilagus brasiliensis truei. (B605.5.w5)

Conservation Status

Notes

WILD POPULATION - IMPORTANCE:

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information

• "In northwestern South America, habitats of the forest rabbit and the eastern cottontail S.floridanus [Sylvilagus floridanus - Eastern cottontail] appear to be mutually exclusive. Forest rabbits cling to dwindling forests and clearings within them and to the Paramos of the Andean crests." (B605.5.w5)

GENERAL LEGISLATION: --

CITES LISTING: --

RED-DATA LIST STATUS:

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information

• IUCN - Lower Risk (least concern). (W2.Apr08.w77)

THREATS:

Specific Sylvilagus brasiliensis Information

• "Cottontails are replacing forest rabbits in artificial savannas cutting through the original forests." (B605.5.w5)
• Exclusion from habitat by large cottontails and their predators.(B605.5.w5)
• Extensive deforestation may be a potential threat in Mexico. (B605.5.w5)

PEST STATUS / PEST POPULATIONS: --

CAPTIVE POPULATIONS: --

TRADE AND USE: --