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BUNOLAGUS

?Bushman rabbit
Conservation status: Critical
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Leporidae
Genus: Bunolagus
Thomas, 1929
Species: B. monticularis
Binomial name
Bunolagus monticularis
(Thomas, 1903)

The Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis), also known as the Bushman Rabbit or Bushman Hare, is one of the rarest mammals in the world. It has an extremely limited distribution area, found only in the central and southern regions of the Karoo Desert of South Africa's Cape Province. It is the only member of the genus Bunolagus.

Contents

Description

It typically has a black stripe running from the corner of the mouth over the cheek. It has a brown woolly tail, cream-colored fur on its belly and throat, and a broad, club-like hind foot. Its tail is pale brown with a tinge of black toward the tip. It is a nocturnal species.

Distribution

It is nowadays found in only a few places in the Karoo, none of them being a protected area. Fraserburg, Sutherland and Victoria West all have small populations.

References

  • Collins et al (2003). Bunolagus monticularis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is critically endangered

External links