Mammals
Pygmy Rabbit
Brachylagus idahoensis · also called sagebrush rabbit
Slipping into a burrow it dug entirely itself, a pygmy rabbit disappears among the dense sagebrush of the Great Basin, a plant that supplies nearly everything this smallest of North American rabbits needs to survive.
Overview
The pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis, is native to grassland and desert habitat across the Great Basin region of the western United States. Its status as North America’s smallest rabbit, unique burrow-digging habit, and deep dependence on sagebrush make it one of the most ecologically specialised rabbit species found anywhere on the continent.
A rabbit that builds its own home
Most North American rabbits make do with existing cover, but the pygmy rabbit instead digs and maintains its own burrow system, a genuinely unusual trait within its family and one closely tied to its equally unusual dependence on a single plant for both food and shelter.
Status
Near Threatened, with a population declining due to the loss and fragmentation of sagebrush habitat across the Great Basin region.
Pygmy Rabbit: common questions
Why is the pygmy rabbit so dependent on sagebrush?
It relies on sagebrush for both food and shelter, feeding heavily on it, especially in winter when other plants are scarce, making the species highly vulnerable wherever sagebrush habitat is lost.
What makes the pygmy rabbit different from other North American rabbits?
It is the only North American rabbit species that digs and maintains its own burrow system, rather than relying on existing shelter the way most other native rabbits do.
How big is the pygmy rabbit compared to other rabbits?
It is the smallest rabbit species found anywhere in North America, notably more compact than other native rabbit species sharing its range.
Where is the pygmy rabbit found?
It is native to grassland and desert habitat across the Great Basin region of the western United States.