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{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Amami rabbit  
| fossil_range = Late Pleistocene - present {{Ma|0.03|0}}
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Yamada, F. and Smith, A.T. |date=2016 |title=''Pentalagus furnessi'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T16559A45180151 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T16559A45180151.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Pentalagus furnessi 387708672.jpg
| image_caption = 
| genus = Pentalagus
| parent_authority = [[Marcus Ward Lyon Jr.|Lyon]], 1904
| species = furnessi
| authority = ([[Witmer Stone|Stone]], 1900)
| range_map = Amami Rabbit area.png
| range_map_caption = Amami rabbit range
}}
The '''Amami rabbit''' ('''''Pentalagus furnessi'''''), also known as the '''Ryukyu rabbit''', is a dark-furred species of [[rabbit]] which is found only on [[Amami Ōshima]] and [[Tokunoshima]], two small islands between southern [[Kyūshū]] and [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] in Japan. Often called a [[living fossil]], the Amami rabbit is a living remnant of ancient rabbits that once lived on the Asian mainland, where they died out, remaining only on the two small Japanese islands where they live today.<ref>{{cite journal|author =Robinson, T. |author2=Yang, F. |author3=Harrison, W. |name-list-style=amp |year=2002|title= Chromosome painting refines the history of genome evolution in hares and rabbits (order Lagomorpha)|pmid=12438803|journal= Cytogenetic and Genome Research |pages= 223–227|volume=96|issue=1–4|doi=10.1159/000063034|s2cid=19327437 }}</ref>

== Evolution ==
''Pentalagus'' is thought to be a descendant of ''[[Pliopentalagus]],'' known from the [[Pliocene]] of China and Eastern to Central Europe.<ref>{{Citation |last=Yamada |first=Fumio |title=A Review of the Biology and Conservation of the Amami Rabbit (''Pentalagus furnessi'') |date=2008 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-540-72446-9_25 |work=Lagomorph Biology |pages=369–377 |editor-last=Alves |editor-first=Paulo C. |access-date=2020-09-07 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-540-72446-9_25 |isbn=978-3-540-72445-2 |editor2-last=Ferrand |editor2-first=Nuno |editor3-last=Hackländer |editor3-first=Klaus|url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is also closely related to the North American genus ''[[Aztlanolagus]]'' (which may be synonynous with ''Pliopentalagus''), which became extinct sometime after 30,000 years ago.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tomida |first1=Yukimitsu |last2=Jin |first2=Chang-Zhu |last3=Winkler |first3=Alisa J. |last4=Oshima |first4=Mitsuharu |date=2024-12-20 |title=Aztlanolagus revisited and the dynamic evolution of Pliopentalagus (Leporidae, Lagomorpha) in the Holarctic region |url=https://www.biotaxa.org/AMNPSBHN/article/view/86604 |journal=Fossil Imprint |volume=80 |issue=2 |language=en |pages=229–238 |doi=10.37520/fi.2024.018 |issn=2533-4069|doi-access=free }}</ref> The closest living relative of the Amami rabbit has been suggested to be the Central African [[Bunyoro rabbit]] (''Poelagus'' ''marjorita'').<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cano-Sánchez |first1=Estefania |last2=Rodríguez-Gómez |first2=Flor |last3=Ruedas |first3=Luis A. |last4=Oyama |first4=Ken |last5=León-Paniagua |first5=Livia |last6=Mastretta-Yanes |first6=Alicia |last7=Velazquez |first7=Alejandro |date=June 2022 |title=Using Ultraconserved Elements to Unravel Lagomorph Phylogenetic Relationships |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10914-021-09595-0 |journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution |language=en |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=395–411 |doi=10.1007/s10914-021-09595-0 |issn=1064-7554|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Uniquely among rabbits, it has 46 [[Ploidy|diploid chromosomes]].<ref>{{Lagomorphs2018|first1=Fumio|last1=Yamada|chapter=''Pentalagus furnessi'' (Stone, 1900) Amami Rabbit}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The [[Generic name (biology)|generic name]] ''Pentalagus'', as described by [[Marcus Ward Lyon Jr.]], refers to the Amami rabbit having five molars on each side of the upper jaw, rather than six like other extant leporids.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lyon Jr. |first=Marcus Ward |author-link=Marcus Ward Lyon Jr. |date=1904 |title=Classification of the Hares and their Allies |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23223/SMC_45_Lyon_1903_28_321-463.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |volume=45 |pages=428–431}}</ref> The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''furnessi'' refers to the original discoverer of the Amami rabbit, [[William Henry Furness III]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tokiwa |first1=Toshihiro |last2=Chou |first2=Shyun |last3=Kitazoe |first3=Hina |last4=Ito |first4=Keiko |last5=Torimoto |first5=Ryouta |last6=Shoshi |first6=Yuki |last7=Sanjoba |first7=Chizu |last8=Yamamoto |first8=Masami |last9=Yoshimura |first9=Hisashi |date=August 2022 |title=Three new species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Amami rabbit, Pentalagus furnessi (Mammalia: Leporidae) |journal=International Journal for Parasitology. Parasites and Wildlife |volume=18 |pages=194–200 |doi=10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.05.006 |issn=2213-2244 |pmc=9198320 |pmid=35721820|bibcode=2022IJPPW..18..194T }}</ref>

==Biology==
===Diet===
The Amami rabbit feeds on over 29 species of plants, which incorporates 17 species of shrubs and 12 species of [[herbaceous plant]]s, consuming mostly the sprouts, young [[Shoot (botany)|shoot]]s and [[acorn]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnlFAQAAIAAJ|title=The Wild Mammals of Japan|last1=Ohdachi|first1=Satoshi D.|last2=Ishibashi|first2=Yasuyuki|last3=Iwasa|first3=Masahiro A.|date=2009|publisher=Shoukadoh Book Sellers|isbn=978-4-87974-626-9|language=en}}</ref> It also eats [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]] and [[cambium]] of a wide variety of plant species.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9d8_AAAAQBAJ|title=Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation|last1=Alves|first1=Paulo C.|last2=Ferrand|first2=Nuno|last3=Hackländer|first3=Klaus|date=2007-12-29|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-540-72446-9|language=en}}</ref> It is observed that the Amami rabbit also feeds on the bark of stems and twigs of shrub plants.<ref name=":1" /> During summer, the Amami rabbit primarily feeds on Japanese pampas grass, and during winter, they primarily eat the acorns of the pasania tree.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/endangeredwildli07mars|url-access=registration|title=Endangered wildlife of the world|last=Corporation|first=Marshall Cavendish|date=February 1993|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-1-85435-489-1 |language=en}}</ref> The Amami rabbit also eats the fruits of ''[[Balanophora yuwanensis]]'', a parasitic flowering plant, for which they are the main distributors of seed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/science/rabbit-parasite-plant-islands.html |first1=Jason |last1=Bittel |title=How Rare Island Bunnies Do a Parasitic Plant's Bidding |website=[[NY Times]] |date=26 January 2023}}</ref>

===Morphology===
The Amami rabbit has short feet and hind legs, a somewhat bulky body, and rather large and curved claws used for digging and sometimes climbing.<ref name=":4" /> Its ears are significantly smaller compared to those of other hares or rabbits.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GMuxDgAAQBAJ&q=amami+rabbit+Its+ears+are+also+significantly+smaller+than+those+of+other+rabbits+or+hares&pg=PT42|title=The Way of the Hare|last=Taylor|first=Marianne|date=2017-06-15|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4729-0990-9|language=en}}</ref> The [[Fur|pelage]] is thick, wooly and dark, brown on top and becomes more reddish-brown on the sides.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9d8_AAAAQBAJ&q=center+for+conservation+of+amami+wildlife&pg=PA375|title=Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation|last1=Alves|first1=Paulo C.|last2=Ferrand|first2=Nuno|last3=Hackländer|first3=Klaus|date=2007-12-29|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-540-72446-9|language=en}}</ref> It has heavy, long and very strong claws, being nearly straight on the forefeet and curved on the hindfeet <ref name=":2" /> The eyes are also small compared to more common rabbits and hares. The average weight is {{Convert|2.5-2.8|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Yamada, F. 2005">{{cite journal |author1=Yamada, F. |author2=Cervantes, F. |year=2005 |title=''Pentalagus fernessi'' |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=782 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1644/782.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Distribution and habitat===
The ideal habitat for these rabbits is in an area between mature and young forests.<ref name=":5" /> They use the dense mature forests as protection and for the presence of [[Miscanthus sinensis|pampas grass]], in the summer, and [[acorn]]s, in the winter, for their diets.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0001nowa|url-access=registration|title=Walker's Mammals of the World|last=Nowak|first=Ronald M.|date=1999-04-07|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-0-8018-5789-8|language=en}}</ref> They also use the high density of perennial grasses and herbaceous ground cover in the young forests for their diets during different times of the year.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Watari|first1=Yuya|last2=Nishijima|first2=Shota|last3=Fukasawa|first3=Marina|last4=Yamada|first4=Fumio|last5=Abe|first5=Shintaro|last6=Miyashita|first6=Tadashi|date=2013|title=Evaluating the "recovery level" of endangered species without prior information before alien invasion|journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=3|issue=14|pages=4711–4721|doi=10.1002/ece3.863|issn=2045-7758|pmc=3867906|pmid=24363899|bibcode=2013EcoEv...3.4711W }}</ref> Therefore, the best habitat for them to live in is where they have easy access to both young and mature forests with no obstructions between the two forest types.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000"/>

Using fecal pellet counts and resident surveys, the number of rabbits is estimated at 2000–4800 left on Amami Island and 120–300 left on Tokuno Island.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=''Pentalagus furnessi'' (Amami rabbit) |url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pentalagus_furnessi/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504084842/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pentalagus_furnessi/ |archive-date=2017-05-04 |access-date=2017-06-19 |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}}</ref>

===Behavior===
This species is a [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]] forest-dweller that reproduces once in late March–May and once in September–December, having one or two young each time.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> During the day, the mother digs a hole in the ground, for her young to hide in. At night, she opens the entrance to the hole, while watching for [[predator]]s (such as venomous [[snake]]s), and then nurses her young, after which she closes the hole with soil and plant material by thumping on it with her front paws.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_kWcAwAAQBAJ|title=Rabbits, Pikas and Dwarf Rabbits|last=Dixon|first=Kristina|date=26 February 2012 |publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-105-56496-3|language=en}}</ref> Amami rabbits sleep during the day in hidden locations, such as caves.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.redorbit.com/reference/amami_rabbit/|title=Amami Rabbit - Redorbit|last=redOrbit|work=Redorbit|access-date=2017-06-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619104655/http://www.redorbit.com/reference/amami_rabbit/|archive-date=2017-06-19|language=en-US}}</ref> They are also noted for having a call similar to that of a [[pika]].<ref name="Yamada, F. 2005"/>

==Endangered species==
===Threats===
Before 1921, hunting and trapping were another cause of decline in population numbers. In 1921, Japan declared the Amami rabbit a "natural monument" which prevented it from being hunted.<ref name=":2"/> Then in 1963, it was changed to a "special natural monument" which prevented it from being trapped as well.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000">{{cite journal |author=Sugimura, K. |author2=Sato, S. |author3=Yamado, F. |author4=Abe, S. |author5=Hirakawa, H. |author6=Handa, Y. |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Distribution and abundance of the Amami rabbit ''Pentalagus furnessi'' in the Amami and Tokuno Islands, Japan |journal=Oryx |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=198–206 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-3008.2000.00119.x |doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[Habitat destruction]], such as forest clearing for commercial logging, agriculture space, and residential areas, is the most detrimental activity on the distribution of these rabbits.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.livescience.com/28162-rabbits.html|title=Rabbits: Habits, Diet & Other Facts|work=Live Science|access-date=2017-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520070853/https://www.livescience.com/28162-rabbits.html|archive-date=2017-05-20}}</ref> Since they prefer a habitat of both mature and young forests, they do not thrive in only mature forests untouched by destruction, yet they do not thrive in newly growing forests alone, either.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000"/> There are plans to remove the current habitat for these rabbits for the construction of golf courses and resorts, which is allowed because it will not directly be killing the rabbit, just changing the environment where it dwells, which is legal even under the protection of the special natural monument status.<ref>{{cite journal|author =Gielen, D. |author2=Kurihara, R. |author3=Moriguchi, Y. |name-list-style=amp|year=2002|title= The Environmental Impacts of Japanese Tourism and Leisure|journal= Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy & Management |pages= 397–424|doi=10.1142/S146433320200111X|volume=4|issue=4}}</ref>

The Amami rabbit also faces huge threats from the invasive predators, being a major cause for the decline in population size.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> On the island of Amami, the [[small Indian mongoose]] (''Urva auropunctata'') was released to control the population of a local venomous snake, and its numbers have increased dramatically.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Hays, W. |author2=Conant, S. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=Biology and Impacts of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 1. A Worldwide Review of Effects of the Small Indian Mongoose, ''Herpestes javanicus'' (Carnivora: Herpestidae) |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/22595/1/vol61n1-3-16.pdf |journal=Pacific Science |volume=61 |pages=3–16 |doi=10.1353/psc.2007.0006 |s2cid=86338152 |hdl-access=free |hdl=10125/22595}}</ref> This mongoose, along with feral cats and dogs, are outpreying the Amami rabbit.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000"/> Feral cats and small Indian Mongooses proved to be a threat to not only Amami rabbits but several other endangered endemic species in the area such as the Amami jay.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Shionosaki | first1 = K. | last2 = Yamada | first2 = F. | last3 = Ishikawa | first3 = T. | last4 = Shibata | first4 = S. | year = 2015 | title = Feral cat diet and predation on endangered endemic mammals on a biodiversity hot spot (Amami–Ohshima island, japan) | journal = Wildlife Research | volume = 42 | issue = 4| pages = 343–352 | doi = 10.1071/WR14161 | bibcode = 2015WildR..42..343S | s2cid = 84000778 }}</ref>

===Conservation===
In July 2008, the Amami Rangers for [[nature conservation]] obtained a photograph of a [[feral]] cat carrying a rabbit [[Cadaver|corpse]] (rabbit bones and fur found in cat or dog droppings had already been found), prompting discussions on better ways to control pets.<ref name=":3" /> A small area of the Amami Island has the [[Amami Guntō National Park]] that further protects the population.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3uzwAAAAMAAJ|title=World directory of national parks and other protected areas|last1=Secretariat|first1=International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources|last2=Parks|first2=International Commission on National|date=1975|publisher=IUCN|language=en}}</ref> Some attempt at [[habitat restoration]] has been made, but the Amami rabbit needs a mosaic of mature and young forest in close proximity, and when a young forest is regrown nowhere near a mature forest, this rabbit is not likely to inhabit it.<ref name=":3" /> Research and population monitoring also is underway to try to keep the numbers from declining, even if they can not be increased.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000"/>

Suggested conservation work for the future includes habitat restoration and predator population control, as a healthy balance of mature and young forests still exists on the southern end of Amami. Restricting logging would also help to keep more forest available for the rabbits to live in by leaving more forest standing, as well as disturbing the surrounding environment more.<ref name=":4" /> An end to the building of forest roads used for logging and travel would further protect the Amami rabbit, as they cause population and [[habitat fragmentation]], destroys their prime habitat and allows predators easier access to the middle of forests where a majority of the rabbit population exists.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> Controlling the populations of mongooses, feral dogs, and feral cats is another approach that could help bolster the rabbit population.<ref name=":4" /> Eradication of the mongooses and feral cats and dogs is needed, as well as better control of pets by local island residents.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000"/>

The Lagomorph Specialist Group of the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources]] proposed a plan of conservation in 1990.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Yamada |first1=Fumio |last2=Cervantes |first2=Fernando A. |date=2005-12-01 |title=''Pentalagus furnessi'' |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=782 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1644/782.1 |issn=0076-3519 |s2cid=198130448 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In Amami-Oshima Island, the Amami Wildlife Conservation Center of the Ministry of the Environment was established in 1999.<ref name=":2" /> It designated the Amami rabbit as endangered in 2004 for Japan and restarted a mongoose eradication program in 2005.<ref name="Yamada, F. 2005"/>

==References==
{{Reflist|35em}}

==External links==
* ARKive – [https://web.archive.org/web/20081010130415/http://www.arkive.org/species/GES//mammals/Pentalagus_furnessi/ images and movies of the Amami rabbit ''(Pentalagus furnessi)'']

{{Lagomorpha|L.}}
{{Lagomorpha Genera|Le.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q687102}}

[[Category:Rabbits]]
[[Category:Endemic mammals of Japan]]
[[Category:Endemic fauna of the Ryukyu Islands]]
[[Category:EDGE species]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1900]]