Mammals
Sumatran Striped Rabbit
Nesolagus netscheri · also called Sumatran rabbit
Caught briefly on a remote camera trap deep in Sumatra’s mountain forest, a Sumatran striped rabbit vanishes again into the undergrowth, one of only a handful of documented sightings of a species so elusive that much of its basic biology remains a mystery.
Overview
The Sumatran striped rabbit, Nesolagus netscheri, is a Critically Endangered mammal native to mountain forest habitat on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Its bold, unusual striped pattern, extraordinary rarity, and status as one of the least-studied mammals on Earth make it one of the most mysterious and urgently threatened rabbit species found anywhere.
A species science has barely glimpsed
Few mammals anywhere remain as poorly understood as the Sumatran striped rabbit, whose extreme rarity and elusive, nocturnal habits have limited scientific knowledge to only a handful of confirmed wild sightings across its entire documented history.
Status
Critically Endangered, with a population believed to be extremely small and declining due to ongoing deforestation across its narrow Sumatran range.
Sumatran Striped Rabbit: common questions
Why is the Sumatran striped rabbit considered one of the rarest mammals on Earth?
It has been photographed or directly observed in the wild only a handful of times, leaving much of its basic biology undocumented and confirming just how rarely encountered this species is.
What makes the Sumatran striped rabbit's appearance unusual?
It carries bold dark stripes across a short-furred body, a pattern highly unusual among rabbit species and quite different from the more uniform colouring of most relatives.
Why is so little known about the Sumatran striped rabbit?
Its combination of extreme rarity, nocturnal habits, and solitary behaviour within remote mountain forest has made it exceptionally difficult for researchers to study in detail.
Where is the Sumatran striped rabbit found?
It is restricted to mountain forest habitat on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, found nowhere else in the world.