Common Tapeti rabbit was seen in Brazil, and their existence was first reported in the mid-18th century. They are solitary creatures and live mostly in their burrows throughout the day without interacting with any other creature. They hide themselves in long grass when they detect any danger while moving outside at night.
Common Tapeti rabbits are a species of cottontail rabbits with small or medium-sized bodies. They have a round head and back. The ears are short, while the eyes are round and dark. Their furs are coarse, dense, and brown, while the underside of the body is white. They eat grasses, bolete mushrooms, and small shrubs. They weigh around 1.6 to 1.8 pounds on average, and weigh 2.2 pounds with good diet. Moreover, their bodies measure between 6.5 and 8.5 inches in height and 11 and 15 inches in length. Due to predation risks, these wild Common tapeti rabbits can survive for 4 to 5 years.
The Common Tapeti rabbits are nocturnal animals that get active at the time of dawn or dusk and night. Usually, they hide themselves in the burrows after sunrise. They are efficient runners, jumpers, or hoppers. In addition, they can also swim when needed. They stand on their hind legs when they detect danger around them. Moreover, they can cover 20 miles per distance in an hour that seems to be a good speed.
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Characteristics of Common Tapeti Rabbits
What does Common Tapeti rabbit look like?
What do Common Tapeti rabbits eat?
What is the height and weight of Common Tapeti rabbit?
Where does Common Tapeti rabbit live?
What are the predators of Common Tapeti rabbits?
What time of year do Common Tapeti rabbits mate?
Characteristics of Common Tapeti Rabbit
| Characteristics | Common Tapeti Rabbits |
| Other common names | Forest cottontail, Brazilian cottontail |
| Scientific name | Sylvilagus brasiliensis |
| Tail and ear length | Short |
| Diet | Grass, bolete mushrooms, soft parts or plants, fruits, small shrubs |
| Weight | 1.6 to 2.2 pounds |
| Body length | 11 to 15 inches |
| Average litter size | 2 to 8 kits |
| Common habitat | Rainforests, grassland, agricultural areas, savannas, tropical rainforests etc. |
| Duration of Gestation | 29 to 45 days |
| Suitability as pet | No |
| Temperament | Less communicative |
| Geographical location | Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina |
| Life expectancy | 4 to 5 years |
What does Common Tapeti rabbit look like?
Common Tapeti rabbits have small or medium-sized bodies. They have brown fur color but the tips of hair are black or flecked. Some of these rabbit have dark brown fur also.
Their tail is fluffy and appears dark. It is short and extends from 1 to 2.5 inches in length. Additionally, the underside of their neck, belly, and tail are rufous or white in color.
In addition, their ears are short and erect and are almost 2.2 inches long. They have dark, round, and wide eyes with improved vision. Their eyes are black or brown.
They have short, muscular legs that are strong and support the jumping and hopping behavior. These also help them easily escape from the predators’ eye by swift running and jumping.
Furthermore, the furs of Common Tapeti rabbits are dense but coarse in texture. Their furs help them camouflage and blend in their habitat when there is a risk of attack by predators.
What do Common Tapeti rabbits eat?
Common Tapeti rabbits are herbivores like other breeds and primarily feed on plant-based foodstuff. They mainly eat grasses and are called folivores or graminivores.
In addition, they feed on other plant parts which are suitable to chew and extract nutrients. They select plant parts with soft texture, easy palatability, and easier digestion. Their digestive system cannot process complex and hard foodstuff, so they do not consider it.
Moreover, they also eat a few types of ripened fruits in the wild. In addition to grass and fruits, they also feed on bolete mushrooms. This mushroom type contains a higher amount of potassium and low sodium content, which is best for their heart health.
Furthermore, they consume small shrubs and drink plenty of water to fulfill their nutritional and hydration needs respectively.
What is the height and weight of Common Tapeti rabbit?
The round and robust bodies of Common Tapeti rabbits are not equal to giant bunnies. On average, their body length is within a range of 11 inches (27.94cm) to 15 inches (38cm).
The bucks of Common Tapeti are slightly larger than their does. They are not tall bunnies, as their height ranges between 6.5 inches to 8.5 inches. In centimerters, it is equal to 16.51cm to 21.59cm.
Moreover, they have lightweight bodies with an average weight of 1.6 pounds to 2.2 pounds or 0.72kg to 1kg). This low body weight helps them run quickly, which is essential to survive in a wild environment.
Additionally, these furry animals are common forest or wild animals, so they have to survive on available food. This is why their bodies are small or lighter compared to those living in domestic environments.
Where does Common Tapeti rabbit live?
The Common Tapeti rabbits live in forests and wild environments as these are wild species of rabbits. This is a common species of cottontail rabbit. The geographical location where this species is found starts from Southern Mexico and leads to Northern Argentina.
They are commonly found in Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, or Argentina and are found to be living in the forest edges, savannas, subtropical forests, agricultural areas, and grasslands.
It is observed that they can live in habitats or ecosystems where they get food and shelter to save themselves from predators and live prolonged lives.
The true Common Tapeti rabbits were found in northeastern Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic rainforests. These are declared to be endangered by the IUCN due to various environmental reasons.
What are the predators of Common Tapeti rabbit?
Common Tapeti rabbits are inhabitants of a natural ecosystem where they live with many other living organisms. A few of these living organisms sharing a common habitat are their predators.
Their common predators are animals belonging to felids group, like lions, tigers, leopards, and wild cat species. They also have risks of attacks from canids, like wolves, foxes, jackals, and domestic or wild dogs.
Also, some tayras or members of the weasel family kill them in the wild whenever they find a Common Tapeti around them. They have devised strategies to protect themselves from predators.
Their senses enable them to detect predators efficiently. Their eyes can see objects at night, and ears can detect even sounds of light intensity. Moreover, they have strong legs that allow them to run swiftly and leave their predators behind.
This high risk of predation in the wild has significantly reduced their number. These wild species can only live for 3 to 4 years in the wild due to lack of care, predation risks, and low-quality diet.
In addition, they are continuously losing their natural habitat due to new human settlements and deforestation. This poses a major threat to the common Tapeti rabbit population; that’s why they are included in the red list.
What time of year do Common Tapeti rabbits mate?
Common tapeti rabbits get sexually matured at the age of 5 months. They can breed throughout the year without considering the exact time of the year.
Moreover, the gestation period of different types of Common Tapeti rabbits varies due to different geographical distributions. Some remain pregnant for 29 days, while others produce babies after 45 days.
There is a significant difference in gestation period among different Common Tapeti rabbits. At the same time, the average duration of pregnancy seen in them ranges between 28 to 33 days.
In the same way, the litter size also varies in different types of these bunnies. At a minimum, they produce 1 to 2 babies, while the female does can give birth to almost 8 kits per litter.
Furthermore, they have to build nests and burrows for their young ones and themselves, unlike domestic rabbits that mate and produce babies in a controlled environment.