Editing Amami rabbit (section)

==Biology==
===Diet===
The Amami rabbit feeds on over 29 species of plants, which incorporates 17 species of shrubs and 12 species of [[herbaceous plant]]s, consuming mostly the sprouts, young [[Shoot (botany)|shoot]]s and [[acorn]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fnlFAQAAIAAJ|title=The Wild Mammals of Japan|last1=Ohdachi|first1=Satoshi D.|last2=Ishibashi|first2=Yasuyuki|last3=Iwasa|first3=Masahiro A.|date=2009|publisher=Shoukadoh Book Sellers|isbn=9784879746269|language=en}}</ref> It also eats [[Nut (fruit)|nuts]] and [[cambium]] of a wide variety of plant species.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9d8_AAAAQBAJ|title=Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation|last1=Alves|first1=Paulo C.|last2=Ferrand|first2=Nuno|last3=Hackländer|first3=Klaus|date=2007-12-29|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783540724469|language=en}}</ref> It is observed that the Amami rabbit also feeds on the bark of stems and twigs of shrub plants.<ref name=":1" /> During summer, the Amami rabbit primarily feeds on Japanese pampas grass, and during winter, they primarily eat the acorns of the pasania tree.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/endangeredwildli07mars|url-access=registration|title=Endangered wildlife of the world|last=Corporation|first=Marshall Cavendish|date=February 1993|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=9781854354891 |language=en}}</ref> The Amami rabbit also eats the fruits of ''[[Balanophora yuwanensis]]'', a parasitic flowering plant, for which they are the main distributors of seed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/science/rabbit-parasite-plant-islands.html |first1=Jason |last1=Bittel |title=How Rare Island Bunnies Do a Parasitic Plant's Bidding |website=[[NY Times]] |date=26 January 2023}}</ref>

===Morphology===
The Amami rabbit has short feet and hind legs, a somewhat bulky body, and rather large and curved claws used for digging and sometimes climbing.<ref name=":4" /> Its ears are significantly smaller compared to those of other hares or rabbits.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GMuxDgAAQBAJ&q=amami+rabbit+Its+ears+are+also+significantly+smaller+than+those+of+other+rabbits+or+hares&pg=PT42|title=The Way of the Hare|last=Taylor|first=Marianne|date=2017-06-15|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=9781472909909|language=en}}</ref> The [[Fur|pelage]] is thick, wooly and dark, brown on top and becomes more reddish-brown on the sides.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9d8_AAAAQBAJ&q=center+for+conservation+of+amami+wildlife&pg=PA375|title=Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation|last1=Alves|first1=Paulo C.|last2=Ferrand|first2=Nuno|last3=Hackländer|first3=Klaus|date=2007-12-29|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783540724469|language=en}}</ref> It has heavy, long and very strong claws, being nearly straight on the forefeet and curved on the hindfeet <ref name=":2" /> The eyes are also small compared to more common rabbits and hares. The average weight is {{Convert|2.5-2.8|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Yamada, F. 2005">{{cite journal |author1=Yamada, F. |author2=Cervantes, F. |year=2005 |title=''Pentalagus fernessi'' |journal=Mammalian Species |issue=782 |pages=1–5 |doi=10.1644/782.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Distribution and habitat===
The ideal habitat for these rabbits is in an area between mature and young forests.<ref name=":5" /> They use the dense mature forests as protection and for the presence of [[Miscanthus sinensis|pampas grass]], in the summer, and [[acorn]]s, in the winter, for their diets.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/walkersmammalsof0001nowa|url-access=registration|title=Walker's Mammals of the World|last=Nowak|first=Ronald M.|date=1999-04-07|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=9780801857898|language=en}}</ref> They also use the high density of perennial grasses and herbaceous ground cover in the young forests for their diets during different times of the year.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Watari|first1=Yuya|last2=Nishijima|first2=Shota|last3=Fukasawa|first3=Marina|last4=Yamada|first4=Fumio|last5=Abe|first5=Shintaro|last6=Miyashita|first6=Tadashi|date=2013|title=Evaluating the "recovery level" of endangered species without prior information before alien invasion|journal=Ecology and Evolution|volume=3|issue=14|pages=4711–4721|doi=10.1002/ece3.863|issn=2045-7758|pmc=3867906|pmid=24363899|bibcode=2013EcoEv...3.4711W }}</ref> Therefore, the best habitat for them to live in is where they have easy access to both young and mature forests with no obstructions between the two forest types.<ref name="Sugimura, K. 2000"/>

Using fecal pellet counts and resident surveys, the number of rabbits is estimated at 2000–4800 left on Amami Island and 120–300 left on Tokuno Island.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=''Pentalagus furnessi'' (Amami rabbit) |url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pentalagus_furnessi/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504084842/http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pentalagus_furnessi/ |archive-date=2017-05-04 |access-date=2017-06-19 |website=Animal Diversity Web |language=en}}</ref>

===Behavior===
This species is a [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]] forest-dweller that reproduces once in late March–May and once in September–December, having one or two young each time.<ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021" /> During the day, the mother digs a hole in the ground, for her young to hide in. At night, she opens the entrance to the hole, while watching for [[predator]]s (such as venomous [[snake]]s), and then nurses her young, after which she closes the hole with soil and plant material by thumping on it with her front paws.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_kWcAwAAQBAJ|title=Rabbits, Pikas and Dwarf Rabbits|last=Dixon|first=Kristina|date=26 February 2012 |publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=9781105564963|language=en}}</ref> Amami rabbits sleep during the day in hidden locations, such as caves.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.redorbit.com/reference/amami_rabbit/|title=Amami Rabbit - Redorbit|last=redOrbit|work=Redorbit|access-date=2017-06-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619104655/http://www.redorbit.com/reference/amami_rabbit/|archive-date=2017-06-19|language=en-US}}</ref> They are also noted for having a call similar to that of a [[pika]].<ref name="Yamada, F. 2005"/>