Plate 035 · grazing at dusk IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Short ears much shorter than a hare’s.
- 2Rufous nape a cinnamon patch behind the head.
- 3Large eye with a pale ring.
- 4Dark brown coat grizzled with black.
- 5Very short tail dark and barely visible.
Easily confused with European HareLepus europaeusIntroduced. Much larger, with long black-tipped ears and long legs. CavyGalea spp.A rodent with no visible tail and tiny round ears. 035 / 100 · MAMMALS · LEPORIDAENOT EVALUATED Tapeti
Sylvilagus brasiliensis
Tapetí · Forest rabbit
Argentina’s only native rabbit. It is small, dark and short-eared, and comes out at dusk to feed in clearings and along forest edges. In Tucumán it is rare and known mainly from the east and northeast of the province.
- Length
- c. 30 – 40 cm
- Weight
- c. 0.7 – 1 kg
- Altitude
- foothills, below c. 900 m
- Status in Argentina
- Least Concern
- Only native rabbit
- Crepuscular
- Herbivore
- Taxonomy under review
Altitude rangeFoothills and Chaco edges
Northwest records In the northwest it is found in foothill forest and Chaco woodland. In 2024 it was recorded in Catamarca for the first time, between 570 and 875 m.
FoodGrass and shoots
- Grassesstaple
- Shoots and herbsin clearings and edges
- Tender leavesof low shrubs
- Barkin the dry season
It feeds close to cover where it can hide fast. It competes with the introduced European hare.
BehaviourFrozen or gone
- Crepuscular. Most active at dawn, dusk and night.
- Freezes. When in danger it flattens to the ground, then bolts in a zigzag.
- Ground nest. Makes a nest lined with its own fur at the foot of trees or bushes.
Where to look in Tucumán- Burruyacú
- Sierra de Medina