Pygmy rabbit

The pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) is a North American rabbit. It is found in the desert areas of the Great Basin and Montana.

The pygmy rabbit is the world's smallest leporid.Meet the World's Smallest Rabbit written October 14, 2009; retrieved 25 August 2015 An average adult weights about . It has a body length of . The female rabbit is slightly larger than the male.

The pygmy rabbit is different from other leporids by its small size, short ears, gray color and small hind legs. It also does not have any white fur on its tail.

Weasels are the main predators of pygmy rabbits. Coyotes, red foxes, badgers, bobcats, owls and hawks also hunt pygmy rabbits.Bradfield, Terry D. (1975). On the behavior and ecology of the pygmy rabbit. Pocatello, ID: Idaho State University. Thesis

 Endangered species 
One isolated population, the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit,  is listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Federal government.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as lower risk. This species only lives naturally in the Columbia Basin of Washington State.

The last male purebred Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit died March 30, 2006, at the Oregon Zoo in Portland. The last purebred female died in 2008. A program by the Oregon Zoo, Washington State University and Northwest Trek is trying to preserve the genes by breeding surviving females with the Idaho pygmy rabbit.Wiley, John K. (13 May 2007) Captive breeding offers hope for near-extinct pygmy rabbits. Associated Press; retrieved 25 August 2015

 References 

 Other websites 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pygmy Rabbit 
Western Watersheds Project

Category:Mammals of North America
Category:Lagomorphs