外形特征Description
琉球兔体长43-51厘米;耳朵长4.5厘米;重量2.5-2.8公斤。
琉球兔体色为黑褐色,皮毛浓厚,脚很短,身体粗壮,爪大及弯曲,它们的耳朵比其他的兔或野兔明显的短小。它们也会发出叫声,叫声有点像鼠兔。
生长繁殖Growth and Breed
雌性琉球兔每年繁殖2次,每次产1仔。母兔会在地上挖穴供幼兔在日间躲藏。于晚上,母兔会打开穴的入口喂养幼兔,期后就会以植物或尘埃遮盖穴。
地理分布Distribution
琉球兔分布在日本的奄美大岛及德之岛。目前奄美大岛生活着大约2000-4800只琉球兔,德之岛只有120-300只。
生存状况Living Condition
琉球兔因猎杀死而濒危,日本遂于1921年立法保护它们。不过它们仍受到伐林、被狗及猫等杀死、并人类干扰等威胁。岛上居民用来杀死毒蛇的獴科也大量杀死琉球兔。伐林对它们有很大的伤害,尤其是它们是日间睡觉的,很多时会连同伐林一同被杀死。
知 识Knowledge
琉球兔学名:Pentalagus furnessi,由美国鸟类学家、植物学家、哺乳动物学家--威特默·斯通(Witmer Stone)于1900年命名。
琉球兔的英文介绍 Introduction
The Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi), also known as the Ryukyu rabbit, is a primitive, dark-furred rabbit which is only found in Amami Ōshima and Toku-no-Shima, two small islands between southern Kyūshū and Okinawa in Kagoshima Prefecture (but actually closer to 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 islands where they survive today.