What Are the Endangered Breeds of Rabbits in the US?

Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit

• Isolated groups of Lower Keys Marsh Rabbits are found in Florida. The rabbit is a subspecies of the much more prevalent Marsh Rabbit species, which is found throughout the Southeast U.S. The rabbit's main habitat is wetland and transitional areas where marsh and dry land meet. Urban development and fragmentation of the species threaten the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit. This rabbit is identifiable by its elongated skull and the dark coloration of its fur.

Pygmy Rabbit

• The Pygmy Rabbit has small populations in Montana, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. it is one of only two American rabbit breeds that dig their own burrow. It is also the smallest rabbit species in the country. In 2001, Washington State University, the Oregon Zoo, and the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park launched a cooperative captive breeding program to increase the population of the Pygmy Rabbit.

Riparian Brush Rabbit

• The Riparian Brush Rabbit is a species of cottontail found in California. The rabbit prefers to live in brush habitats such a willow thickets, California wild rose, Pacific blackberry, Douglas' coyote bush, wild grape and grasses. Its home range is small, and the species does not breed all year as many other species of rabbit in the region do. Its threats include habitat conversion to agriculture, wildfire, disease, predation and the clearing of riparian vegetation.

New England Cottontail

• As of 2011, the New England Cottontail was not on the endangered species list of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. However, the species is classified as at risk and is being considered for the endangered classification in 2011. In the 1960s, the species was found in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire. By 2011, its habitat in those five states had been cut by 75 percent, and just five small groups of New England Cottontails were known to exist.