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Overview

Characteristics
Overview

Brown and white with a fuzzy cottontail, the riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian
brush rabbit is a subspecies of the more common brush rabbit which is found in Oregon, California and Baja California, Mexico. It’s a small rabbit; full-grown adults measure about 12 inches in length and weigh just 1.5 pounds. 

The riparian brush rabbit was once believed to be reduced to a single population in Caswell Memorial State Park, but another population was discovered near Lathrop, California, in 1998. Since this discovery, a third population has been reintroduced to the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. While recovery efforts are underway for the species, the rabbit is among the rarest mammals in the state. It was listed as endangered on February 23, 2000. 

The biggest current threat to the species is a fatal virus that infects rabbits across the western United States. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with partners to vaccinate rabbits against the virus. Other threats to the species include seasonal flooding of habitat, development and land use change, wildfire, drought and predation.

Scientific Name

Sylvilagus bachmani riparius
Common Name
Riparian Brush Rabbit
FWS Category
Mammals
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Characteristics

Characteristic category

Life Cycle

Characteristics
Life Span

If they survive their first year of life, riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

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brush rabbits can live for three or more years in the wild. 

Reproduction

Riparian brush rabbits typically breed from January to May. Females can have multiple litters per year, with three to four young per litter. Gestation is approximately 27 days. Brush rabbits use nests for birthing and raising neonates for approximately two weeks after birth. Riparian brush rabbit nests are rarely observed, because nests are typically hidden within large clumps of dense, and often thorny, vegetation. Young rabbits typically leave the nest at two weeks of age. The riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

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brush rabbit reaches adult size approximately 77 to 84 days after birth.

Characteristic category

Habitat

Characteristics
Habitat

Habitat for the riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

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brush rabbit consists of riparian areas that contain willow thickets (Salix spp.), California wild rose (Rosa californica), Pacific blackberry (Rubus vitifolius), wild grape (Vitis californica), Douglas' coyote bush (Baccharis douglasii) and various grasses. The rabbits have small home ranges that are limited by the size of available brushy habitat. 

River or Stream

A natural body of running water.

Rural

Environments influenced by humans in a less substantial way than cities. This can include agriculture, silviculture, aquaculture, etc.

Wetland

Areas such as marshes or swamps that are covered often intermittently with shallow water or have soil saturated with moisture.

Characteristic category

Food

Characteristics
Food

The riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian
brush rabbit frequents small clearings, where they feed on a variety of vegetation. They feed upon native and non-native grasses and herbs like creeping wild rye (Leymus triticoides), non-native peppergrass (Lepidium spp.), mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana), Santa Barbara sedge (Carex barbarae), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and gumplant (Grindelia camporum). Particularly during the dry season, when more desirable food plants are unavailable, they also eat a variety of plant material from woody species that include wild rose, blackberry, elderberry, wild grape and oak.

Characteristic category

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics
Size & Shape

The riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian
brush rabbit is a medium to small cottontail rabbit. Its body color varies from dark brown to gray, with a white belly. When viewed from above, its cheeks protrude outward rather than being straight or concave, as in the other brush rabbit subspecies. The riparian brush rabbit can be distinguished from desert cottontails by their smaller tail and uniformly colored ears, being that they do not have black tips.

Measurements
Length: 11 to 13 in (300 to 375 mm)
 

Weight

Weight: 1 to 2 lbs (500 to 800 gm)

Color & Pattern

Brown and white with a fuzzy cottontail.

Geography

Characteristics
Range

Today, the riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian
brush rabbit’s range is contained within southern San Joaquin County and northern Stanislaus County, California. The only known populations of the species are located at Caswell Memorial State Park and the Oxbow Preserve, as well as in the South Delta and at the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge.

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Timeline

Explore the information available for this taxon's timeline. You can select an event on the timeline to view more information, or cycle through the content available in the carousel below.

11 Items

Listing

Listing

Listing

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Five Year Review

Five Year Review

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Listing

Sep 18, 1985

Sep 18, 1985 Listing
Review of Vertebrate Wildlife; Notice of Review; 50 FR 37958-37967
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 1

Listing

Jan 6, 1989

Jan 6, 1989 Listing
ETWP; Animal Notice of Review; 54 FR 554 579
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 2

Listing

Nov 21, 1991

Nov 21, 1991 Listing
ETWP; Animal Candidate Review for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species; 56 FR 58804 58836
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 3

Listing

Nov 15, 1994

Nov 15, 1994 Listing
ETWP; Animal Candidate Review for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species.
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 4

Listing

Sep 19, 1997

Sep 19, 1997 Listing
Review of Plant and Animal Taxa
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 5

Listing

Nov 21, 1997

Nov 21, 1997 Listing (Endangered)
ETWP; Proposed Endangered Status for the Riparian Brush Rabbit and Riparian Woodrat
  • Publication type: Proposed
Item 6

Listing

Oct 25, 1999

Oct 25, 1999 Listing
Review of Plant and Animal Taxa That Are Candidates or Proposed for Listing as Endangered or Threate…
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 7

Listing

Feb 23, 2000

Feb 23, 2000 Listing (Endangered)
Final Rule to List the Riparian Brush Rabbit and the Riparian, or San Joaquin Valley, Woodrat as End…
  • Publication type: Final
Item 8

Listing

Oct 30, 2001

Oct 30, 2001 Listing
ETWP; Review of Plant and Animal Species That Are Candidates or Proposed for Listing as Endangered o…
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 9

Five Year Review

May 21, 2010

May 21, 2010 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5-Year Reviews of 34 Species in California and Nevada; Availability of 96 Completed 5-…
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 10

Five Year Review

Jul 26, 2019

Jul 26, 2019 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5- Year Status Reviews of 58 Species in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin of…
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 11