  the amami rabbit (pentalagus furnessi; ), or , also known as the ryukyu rabbit, is a primitive, dark-furred rabbit which is only found in amami Åshima and toku-no-shima, two small islands between southern kyÅ«shÅ« 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. ==biology== ===morphology=== 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 2.5â2.8&nbsp;kg. ===distribution and habitat=== 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 res
Animals_described_in_1900 EDGE_species IUCN_Red_List_endangered_species Living_fossils Mammals_of_Japan Rabbits_and_hares Special_Natural_Monuments