Mexican cottontail
The Mexican cottontail rabbits ( Sylvilagus cunicularius ) is a mammal in the genus of cottontail rabbit among lagomorphs. It is endemic spread in Mexico and lives in forest and meadow areas.
Features
The Mexican cottontail rabbit is a relatively large species of the genus with a body weight of 1800-2300 grams and a body size of 48.5 to 51.5 inches. The back color and the tail are brown -gray to reddish brown, the belly is white in color. The coat is short and rough.
Dissemination
The Mexican cottontail rabbit lives endemic to Mexico. The range extends from central Sinaloa to the south along the Pacific coast to Oaxaca and western Veracruz.
The altitudinal distribution ranges from sea level to heights of 4,300 meters.
Way of life
The Mexican cottontail rabbits live in temperate to tropical deciduous forests. In central Mexico it is often found in pine and pine - oak forests with a dense understory of grasses of the genus Festuca, Agrostis and Mühlenbergia, collectively referred to as " zacatones ". In volcanic regions at Popocatépetl, Iztaccihuatl, Pelado Nevado de Toluca and it lives in less densely vegetated habitats and in western Mexico you will find the kind in dry forest and grass areas. In the mountainous regions south of Mexico City the way together ( sympatric ) comes with the Florida Cottontail ( S. floridanus ) and the volcano rabbit ( Romerolagus diazi ) before, in other areas with the Audubon cottontail rabbits ( S. audubonii ), the white cross rabbits (Lepus callotis ) and jackrabbits (Lepus californicus ).
Pairings of this kind take place over the whole year, a fixed mating season, there is not. The peak of the mating season is between March to October. The female gives birth to a litter average of six pups, the support period is about 30 days.
System
The Mexican cottontail rabbit is assigned as an independent species the cottontail rabbits ( genus Sylvilagus ). First described scientifically, it was considered Lepus cunicularius by George Robert Waterhouse in 1848 There are three subspecies.:
- Sylvilagus cunicularius cunicularius in the central area of distribution in the states of Michoacan, Guerrero and Oaxaca
- S. c. insolitus in the northern area of distribution of Sinaloa along the Pacific coast of Jalisco
- S. c. pacificus in the southern area of distribution from the south along the Pacific coast of Jalisco to Oaxaca.
Threats and conservation
The Mexican cottontail rabbit is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN ) due to the population size and the large distribution area as not at risk ( least concern ). A decline in populations is not known.