Annamite striped rabbit
| Annamite striped rabbit[1] | |
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| N. timminsi in captivity | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Nesolagus |
| Species: | N. timminsi
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| Binomial name | |
| Nesolagus timminsi Averianov, Abramov, & Tikhonov, 2000
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| Annamite striped rabbit range | |
The Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) is a species of rabbit native to the Annamite mountain range on the Laos-Vietnam border. The rabbit is striped, with a red rump, and resembles the Sumatran striped rabbit. It only recently became known to Western scientists: striped rabbits were first observed in 1996 by biologist Rob Timmins in a market in Bak Lak in Laos, and the species was described in 2000 and named after Timmins' find.[3] It is known as the tho van in Vietnamese and ka tai lai seua in Lao.[4]
Genetics
[edit]The Annammite striped rabbit resembles the Sumatran striped rabbit morphologically in all aspects except some characteristics of the cranium, but it differs considerably in genetics. Significant differences in mtDNA were found through genetic analysis.[5]
Characteristics
[edit]Nesolagus timminsi is a short-eared, short-tailed rabbit with a rust-colored rump and black or dark brown stripes running along the back. No specific measurements have been made.[5]
Range and distribution
[edit]The range of Nesolagus timminsi includes the Northern and Central Annamites, and possibly the Southern Annamites.[5] Very little is known of its ecology, nor why there is a thousand-mile gap between it and its nearest relative, the Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri). Molecular analysis indicates that the two diverged from a common ancestor about eight million years ago, in the Pliocene epoch.[4] They may have survived in forested refugia that remained when glacial ice sheets retreated after the last ice age.[6] N. timminsi apparently coexists with the Burmese hare in a sympatric relationship.[5]
Behavior and ecology
[edit]Nothing is known about N. timminsi in regards to its reproduction. It is unknown if any parasites or diseases affect the species.[4]
Threats and conservation
[edit]N. timminsi is primarily threatened by hunting, as it is often caught in snare traps set both by subsistence hunters and poaching operations. Hunting by dogs is also a likely impact on the species. Agricultural cultivation and extensive road building throughout Laos and Vietnam have caused habitat loss and degradation, but hunting remains the primary threat.[4] It Is found in conservation areas Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Nakai–Nam Theun and Umat. Laos and Vietnam both have no conservation measures for this species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as endangered based on the high level of snaring activity in Vietnam, which is causing sharp declines in all ground-dwelling small mammals in the region.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Hoffman, R.S.; Smith, A.T. (2005). "Order Lagomorpha". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b Tilker, A.; Timmins, R.J.; Nguyen The Truong, A.; Coudrat, C.N.Z.; Gray, T.; Le Trong Trai; Willcox, D.H.A.; Abramov, A.V.; Wilkinson, N.; Steinmetz, R. (2019). "Nesolagus timminsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T41209A45181925. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T41209A45181925.en. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ Can, Dang N; Abramov, Alexei V; Tikhonov, Alexei N; Averianov, Alexander O. "Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi in Vietnam". Acta Teriologica. 46 (4): 437–440.
- ^ a b c d Tilker, Andrew; The Truong An, Nguyen; Gray, Thomas (2018). "Nesolagus timminsi Averianov, Abramov, and Tikhonov, 2000 Annamite Striped Rabbit". In Smith, Andrew T.; Johnston, Charlotte H.; Alves, Paulo C.; Hackländer, Klaus (eds.). Lagomorphs: Pikas, Rabbits, and Hares of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-1-4214-2341-8. LCCN 2017004268.
- ^ a b c d Schai-Braun, S. C.; Hackländer, K. (2016). "Family Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits)". In Wilson, D.E.; Lacher, T.E.; Mittermeier, R.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 6. Lagomorphs and Rodents I. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-84-941892-3-4.
- ^ "Annamite striped rabbit". saolablog. September 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
External links
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