Amami Rabbit - Pentalagus furnessi

Amami Rabbit - Pentalagus furnessi (Stone, 1900).

IUCN STATUS CATEGORY Endangered

HABITAT Found in forests of all successional stages, but prefers old growth forest. Not found in cultivated or residential areas.

GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD The species is found only on Amami Oshima and Tokuno-shima, two islands forming part of the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan.

CURRENT POPULATION It has been estimated that 3,750 rabbits occur on Amami Oshima, although this may be an over estimate. The population size on Tokuno-shima is thought to number less than 500 individuals.

SIZE Head and body length is 43 to 51cm.

WEIGHT Between 2 and 3kg.

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY Unknown.

NORMAL DIET The rabbit feeds on the Japanese pampas grass Miscanthus sinensis, runners of the Japanese sweet potato Ipomoea batatas, bamboo sprouts, acorns of the pasania tree Castanopsis sieboldii and the bark of forest trees Ficus erecta, Podocarpus macrophyllus, Psychotria sepens, Mussaenda parviflora, Gardenia jasminoides, Clerodendron trichotomum and Mallotus japonicus.

NORMAL LIFESTYLE Generally nocturnal, using passages through the undergrowth. Amami Rabbits make clicking noises when communicating with one another. Burrows are used for dens and nests.

PREVIOUS GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD As present.

REASONS FOR DECLINE Extensive logging operations on the two islands have resulted in the area of old forest present in 1980 decreasing to less than five per cent.

CURRENT THREATS Although young secondary forests may provide suitable habitats for the rabbits, preservation of old forests is the most important means of preserving the species. Feral dogs are the primary predators of the rabbits although it has been suggested that feral cats are the most significant predator. The species was heavily hunted for its reputed medicinal value (Nowak, 1991).

CONSERVATION PROJECTS The species has been declared as a National Monument in Japan and given complete legal protection from shooting and capture. The IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group suggest that in addition to the preservation of old forests, removal of feral cats and dogs is critical to the preservation of the Amami Rabbit.

SPECIAL FEATURES The rabbit is recognised as a living fossil, because its morphological traits are similar to fossil species found in the Miocene stratum.

REFERENCES Sugimura, K. 1990. The Amami Rabbit Pentalagus furnessi. In: Chapman, J.A. & Flux, J.E.C. (eds) 1990. Rabbits, Hares and Pikas: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Lagomorph Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland. pp: 140-142.

Nowak, R.M. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World. 5th ed. Vol.1. John Hopkins University Press, London. pp.544-545. Stone, W. 1900.

Descriptions of a New Rabbit from the Liu Kiu Islands and a New Flying Squirrel from Borneo. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 52: 460-463.

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