The Volcano Rabbit, so named because of their natural habitat, have become another of the endangered animals, even if they look like ordinary rabbits. Unlike the pet rabbits we are all familiar with, the Volcano Rabbits do not breed as many bunnies, nor as often. Their litter is at most 3 bunnies provided they are able to successfully mate. The gestation period is about 39 days. The bunnies are weaned after 21 days. Being endangered animals, they also do not have much literature about them. They are not only hard to find, their population is fast disappearing.
What has been established is that they live in the slopes of the Mexican volcanic belt. This would be Central Mexico which is fast become an urbanized area. They live in groups of 5 and are known to be herbivores, feeding on herbs and tree bark. They like to move around at night and stay in one area during daytime.
They can be distinguished from other rabbits because of their stubby tails and short legs. Their ears are small and round, unlike the usual rabbits ears which are pointy. The 4 volcanic slopes in Mexico where you can find these rabbits are El Pelado, Tlaloc, Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl.
Scientists refer to their preferred habitat as “zacation” which is elevated area up to 4250 meters with dense shrubs and forests. The soil in the area is rich and dark and there are basaltic rocks peppering the zacation. They prefer moldy, moist forests with heavy grass.
One reason for the rapidly declining population is urbanization. Much of the land is converted to agricultural land because the soil is rich. This is how they have adapted to eating corn and cultivated oats. Because they have begun to eat corn and cultivated oats, farmers have taken to killing them to protect their crop. Thus began the plight of the Volcano Rabbits.
Aside from agricultural land, their habitat has also slowly transformed into grazing land for sheep and cattle. Thus, their foliage, which is their food, is being eaten by these farm animals. The cutting down on the trees have aggravated their problem of food source.
Being one of the smallest rabbit species in the world second only to the pygmy rabbits, they are hard to find. Perhaps because they are so rare nowadays, they are also hunted down as trophy animals and food.
