Endangered
Tehuantepec jackrabbit
Lepus flavigularis
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is a medium-sized species of hare in the family Leporidae that is endemic to eastern Oaxaca, Mexico.
Appearance
The chest and neck are yellowish in color, and it can be distinguished from other species by two black stripes that run from the base of the ears to the nape, and by its white flanks. This same coloration of the nape is also noted in several subspecies of the black-tailed jackrabbit. The tail measures from 2.6 to 3.7 inches (65 to 95 mm) and is black above and white underneath.
Its skull is elongated, and among the Mexican hares, its tympanic bullae (bone structures that enclose the middle and inner ear) are the smallest.
Tehuantepec jackrabbit is a medium-sized hare, ranging in length from 22.2 to 24.0 inches (56.5 to 61 cm).
Range and habitat
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit resides in tropical dry savannas dominated by native grasses in the genera Bouteloua and Paspalum with an overstory of sparse bushes of nanche (Byrsonima crassifolia), and scattered trees of morro (genus Crescentia). Generally, it tends towards habitats without dense vegetation, but can be flexible depending on the available resources. It is also found in coastal grassy dunes alongside the plants Opuntia decumbens, Opuntia tehuantepecana, and Sabal mexicana.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and breeding
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is nocturnal and crepuscular, and spends much of its time feeding. The length of the breeding season may extend from February to December, with a peak in reproduction during the rainy season from May to October.
The litter size is one to four embryos per breeding season. It exists in three separated populations, living on grassy dunes and savannas, and is herbivorous, mainly eating grasses.
In crisis
Predators include snakes, dogs, cats, coyotes, and gray foxes. The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is the most endangered of the hares, with less than 300 mature individuals estimated as of 2019, and is threatened by various factors in its small distribution, among them poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, a small population size, and genetic isolation. Changing agricultural practices, loss of diversity in flora, and competition for food are also factors in the species' decline.
It is threatened by poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, its small population size, and genetic isolation. Poaching in particular poses a threat in the Santa María del Mar area due to poor social and economic conditions.
Tehuantepec jackrabbit is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Tehuantepec jackrabbit, Wikidata item Q664472. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
