| Tehuantepec jackrabbit [1] | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Genus: | Lepus |
| Species: | L. flavigularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepus flavigularis Wagner, 1844 | |
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| Tehuantepec jackrabbit range | |
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit (Lepus flavigularis) is a jackrabbit endemic to Mexico.
It is easily distinguished from other species by two black stripes that run from the base of the ears to the nape, and by its white flanks. [3] Its underparts are white, its upperparts are bright-brown washed with black, the rump is gray, and the tail is black. It is one of the largest jackrabbits and has large ears and legs. Adults weigh about 3.5 to 4 kilograms.
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is a rare endemic of Oaxaca, Mexico, and is only found along savannas and grassy dunes on the shores of a salt water lagoon connected to the Gulf of Tehuantepec in the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. Three small populations persist isolated from each other.
The former distribution of the Tehuantepec jackrabbit is not documented in detail, but it is estimated that its historic geographic range along the Mexican Pacific Coast on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec from Salina Cruz in Oaxaca to Tonalá in Chiapas, an area of perhaps only 5000 square km. [4]
Tropical dry savannas dominated by native grasses ( Bouteloua , Paspalum ) with an overstory of sparse bushes of nanche ( Byrsonima crassifolia ), and scattered trees of morro ( Crescentia ) are selected by the Tehuantepec jackrabbit. [5] The Tehuantepec Jackrabbit is also found in coastal grassy dunes with Opuntia decumbens , Opuntia tehuantepecana , and Sabal mexicana . [6]
Home ranges overlap with one or more individuals regardless of sex and age, and home range size is about 50 ha with core areas of 9 ha for adult jackrabbits. [5] The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is nocturnal and crepuscular, and during the diurnal hours it rests in forms under bushes or grasses.
Native mammals that coexist with the Tehuantepec jackrabbit are the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), the hooded and western hog-nosed skunks (Mephitis macroura, Conepatus mesoleucus), the Virginia opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), the gray mouse opossum (Tlacuatzin canescens), the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), the common raccoon (Procyon lotor), and the coyote (Canis latrans). [7] Of these, the gray fox and the coyote are native predators of the Tehuantepec jackrabbit.
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit has a polygynous mating system. [8] The length of the breeding season may extend from February to December, with a peak in reproduction during the rainy season (from May to October). The litter size is one to four embryos, [9] but the number of litters produced per female per year remains to be investigated.
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is listed as critically endangered in the Mexican Official Norm NOM-059-ECOL-2001, and as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species.
The Tehuantepec jackrabbit is jeopardized by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, small population size, and genetic isolation. Introduction of exotic grasses, frequent and induced fires, agricultural and cattle-raising activities, and human settlements are deteriorating the floristic diversity and native vegetation structure in savannas inhabited by Tehuantepec jackrabbits. [5] [10] Locally, the Tehuantepec jackrabbit is taken occasionally as subsistence hunting, and very occasionally as pets in rural communities. Predation by the gray fox and the coyote is the major cause of mortality of the jackrabbit. [5] However, poachers may come from nearby cities and decimate populations in a few nights of hunting.
Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus Lepus. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The genus includes the largest lagomorphs. Most are fast runners with long, powerful hind legs, and large ears to dissipate body heat. Hare species are native to Africa, Eurasia and North America. A hare less than one year old is called a "leveret". A group of hares is called a "husk", a "down", or a "drove".
Leporidae is the family of rabbits and hares, containing over 70 species of extant mammals in all. The Latin word Leporidae means "those that resemble lepus" (hare). Together with the pikas, the Leporidae constitute the mammalian order Lagomorpha. Leporidae differ from pikas in that they have short, furry tails and elongated ears and hind legs.
The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an isthmus in Mexico. It represents the shortest distance between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, it was a major overland transport route known simply as the Tehuantepec Route. The name is taken from the town of Santo Domingo Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca; this was derived from the Nahuatl term Tēcuāntepēc.
Juchitán de Zaragoza is an indigenous town in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. With a 2020 census population of 88,280, it is the third-largest city in the state. The majority of the indigenous inhabitants are Zapotecs and Huaves. The town also serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name. The municipality has an area of 414.64 km2 and a population of 113,570, the state's third-largest in population.
Dalembertia is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1858. It is native to Mexico and Guatemala.
The antelope jackrabbit is a species of North American hare found in southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico that occupies dry desert areas.
The Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec(Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec, S.A. de C.V.), also known as Tren Interoceánico, Line Z, Ferrocarril Transístmico or simply Ferroistmo, is part of the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, owned by the Mexican government, that crosses the Isthmus of Tehuantepec between Puerto Mexico, Veracruz, and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca. It is leased to Ferrocarril del Sureste FERROSUR.
Byrsonima is one of about 75 genera in the Malpighiaceae, a family of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales. In particular in American English, they are known as locustberries. Another widely seen common name is serrets or serrettes.
The black jackrabbit is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae. Endemic to Mexico, its only known location is Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California. The IUCN has listed this species as a "vulnerable species" because of its restricted range. This taxon is regarded by some authorities as being a subspecies of the black-tailed jackrabbit, found on the mainland of Mexico.
The Mexican cottontail is a species of cottontail rabbit in the family Leporidae. It is endemic to Mexico where its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical dry forests and pastureland.
Istmo de Tehuantepec is the largest region of the state of Oaxaca, located in southwestern Mexico.
Azteca de Gyves is a Mexican artist from Juchitán de Zaragoza in the state of Oaxaca. She is of Zapotec heritage and one of only two prominent female artists in her city. She has been a member of the Salón de la Plástica Mexicana since 1998 and has exhibited her work individually and collectively in Mexico, Brazil, the United States, Japan and other countries.
Cirsium mexicanum is a Mesoamerican and Caribbean species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. Common name is Mexican thistle. It is widespread across Mexico, Central America and the West Indies.
Federal Highway 190D is the tolled Federal Highway that parallels Federal Highway 190. Highways with the 190D signage are in the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas.
Anolis cuprinus, also known commonly as the copper anole, the Chiapas anole, and el abaniquillo de Chiapas in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Mexico.
The Tamaulipas jackrabbit, also known as the Tamaulipas white-sided jackrabbit, is a species of hare endemic to the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
