Riparian Brush Rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius)
Listing status: Endangered
Description
Habitat
Found in western coastal regions of North America
Niche
Primary Consumer - Herbivore
The Brush Rabbit live in riparian oak forests
- Dense brushy cover
- By rivers
- Conifer Habitats
- Most commonly in chaparral vegetation
- Medium to small cottontail
- Back- Dark brown to gray
- Belly- White
- 11-14 inches
- Weigh- 500-800 Grams
Brush rabbits feed on
- Grasses
- Leaves
- Forbs
- Wild rose
- Blackberries
Their favorite food is the Green Clover
Citations
Their diet changes with the seasons, and what is provided in its habitat at that time.
Their niche is to be a easy pray for secondary consumer and to keep the plants in check.
Crane, S. and R. Csomos 2002. "Sylvilagus bachmani" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed December 01, 2013 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Sylvilagus_bachmani/
"Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery." Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013. <http://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es/Recovery-Planning/Riparian-Brush-Rabbits/es_recovery_rip-brush-rabbit-recovery.htm>.
illustration
Importance of Species
Reasons Species Is In Trouble
Support
Economic Importance:
- Can be hunted for sport and food
- Raised for pets
- Body parts are source of valuable material
- Elimination of their special habitat
- Wildfires
- Disease
- Predation from native and nonnative species
- Flooding and rodenticides
Human-caused actions such as:
- Damming rivers,
- Constructing levees
- Urban, commercial and agricultural development
Caswell Memorial State Park is:
- Reducing wildfires
- Controlling predators
- Minimizing recreational impacts
- Restoring habitat
- Reduce the effects of flooding
Endangered Species Recovery Program is
- Bringing wild riparian brush rabbits into captive breeding to enhance the chances of their young surviving to adulthood,
- Then releasing the rabbits back into the wild