Карликовый кролик: описание и ареал обитания

Species of mammal
Speciesbox
| name = Pygmy rabbit
| image = BRACHYLAGUS IDAHOENSIS. jpg
| status = LC
| status system = IUCN3.1
| status ref =
| genus = Brachylagus
| species = idahoensis
| authority = (Merriam, 1891)
| range map = Pygmy Rabbit area. png
| range map caption = Pygmy rabbit range(blue – native, pink – reintroduced)
| synonyms = Lepus idahoensis Merriam, 1891 Lepus (Brachylagus) idahoensis Microlagus idahoensis The pygmy rabbit differs significantly from species within either the Lepus (hare) or Sylvilagus (cottontail) genera and is generally considered to be within the monotypic genus Brachylagus. One isolated population, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, is listed as an endangered species by the U. S. Federal government, though the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as lower risk.

The pygmy rabbit was first described by Clinton Hart Merriam in 1891, as Lepus idahoensis; the type specimen, in winter pelage, had been collected in the Pahsimeroi Valley the previous autumn. with adults weighing between , and having a body length between ; females are slightly larger than males. The pygmy rabbit is distinguishable from other leporids by its small size, short ears, gray color, small hind legs, and lack of white fuzzy fur.

The range of the pygmy rabbit includes most of the Great Basin and some of the adjacent intermountain areas of western North America. The elevational range of pygmy rabbits in Nevada extends from and in California from A crossbreeding program conducted by the Oregon Zoo, Washington State University, and Northwest Trek is attempting to preserve the genetic line by breeding surviving females with the Idaho pygmy rabbit.

Pygmy rabbits are capable of breeding when they are about 1 year old. The breeding season of pygmy rabbits is very short. In Idaho it lasts from March through May; in Utah, from February through March. The gestation period of pygmy rabbits is unknown. It is between 27 and 30 days in various species of cottontails (Sylvilagus spp.). An average of six young are born per litter and a maximum of three litters are produced per year. Individual sagebrush plants in areas inhabited by pygmy rabbits are often 6 feet (1.8 m) or more in height. The pygmy rabbit is the only leporid native to North America that digs burrows. Pygmy rabbits are also found in areas where greasewood (Sarcobatus spp.) is abundant. In Idaho, Gates & Eng (1984)