San Jose brush rabbit
The San José shrub rabbits ( Sylvilagus mansuetus ) is a mammal in the genus of cottontail rabbit among lagomorphs. It is endemic to the Isla San José, in the Gulf of California.
Features
The San José shrub rabbit reaches a body length of about 34 cm with a tail of about 4.4 centimeters long. The hind foot is 7.3 inches, the ear (dried) about 6.3 inches long. The back color and the tail are gray-brown to dark brown, the belly and the underside of the tail are whitish. Compared to the closely related shrub rabbits ( p bachmani ) the coat is a little brighter and the ears are about longer. In Winterfell the top of the head and the back is pale beige to yellow gray, the sides are paler and grayer than the back.
The skull has a long and narrow snout. The Supra -orbital plates are wide and compact.
Dissemination
The San José shrub rabbit is endemic to the Mexican state of Baja California Sur belonging Isla San Jose in the Gulf of California. The island is about 170 square kilometers and is located 60 kilometers north of the city of La Paz; from the mainland, it is about five kilometers away.
By taking stock in 2011 could be found that the kind on the island inhabited only about 20 km ² area along the southwestern coastal plain with a single population.
Way of life
About the habit of the species are very little information. The highest activity point to the animals between sunset and about 2:00 clock in the morning and 6:00 to 10:00 clock.
The areas with the densest presence of the species are characterized by a high number and diversity of desert trees, cacti and shrubs. Among the plants of the area include Fouquieria digueti, Jatropha cinerea, Pachicerus pringley, Opuntia cholla, Bursera hindsiana, Bursera microphylla, Simmondsia chinensis, Cercidium peninsular, Stenocereus gummosus, Cyrtocarpa edulis, Esenbeckia flava, Lycium sp. and Olneya tesota. The rabbits use the shade under the plants as resting places.
In addition to the San José shrub rabbits live on the island, only six other domestic mammals. Other mammals include mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus ), San Jose kangaroo rat ( Dipodomys insularis ), the pocket mouse Chaetodipus spinatus, the American bush rat Neotoma lepida, the North American Katzenfrett ( Bassariscus astutus ) and the cactus mouse ( Peromyscus eremicus ).
Among the predators of the rabbit are mainly imported cats and dogs that have on all small mammals of the island a predator pressure. The North American Katzenfrett the only native predator probably captured occasionally individual animals, but has only a small overlap in habitat on. Other domestic carnivores are different snakes like rattlesnakes Crotalus enyo enyo, C. mitchelli mitchelli and C. ruber lucanensis, the bull snakes Pituophis melanoleucus bimaris and P. vertebral artery, the osprey (Pandion haliaetus), the Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis ), the peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ) and the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius ).
System
The San José shrub rabbit is assigned as an independent species the cottontail rabbits ( genus Sylvilagus ). First described scientifically it was by Edward William Nelson in 1907. Manseatus The species name is derived from the Latin name of the word " tame ", and is probably due to the very low flight distance of the animals.
It is believed that the San José shrub rabbit is closely related to the bush rabbits ( p bachmani ), who lives on the mainland of the Baja California peninsula. The exact family relationship is unknown, the San José shrub rabbits could also be a subspecies of the shrub rabbit.
Threats and conservation
The San José shrub rabbit is considered threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN ) due to the size of the stock and the very small distribution area than with extinction ( critically endangered ).
Comparisons between censuses of 1995/96 and 2008 have shown that the stock figures of the San José - shrub rabbits declined slightly. The causes of hunting pressure might come into question by introduced cats and dogs, habitat loss due to competition with imported goats, illegal hunting or effects by setting up a salt mine near the circulation area of the rabbit.