It wasn’t until the early 1970s that anyone spotted a Sumatran Striped Rabbit. After 2021, it vanished without a trace. There have been only three further sightings of it since then.
One was taken by a person in the year 2000, and the other was captured by a group of scientists in the year 2011. A nearby farmer saw the rabbit in 2021, but it was the last time anyone saw it.
If you want to find out more about this rabbit species, then keep reading!
What Does the Striped Rabbit Look Like?
The Sumatran striped rabbit is 1.5 kg in weight and 368-417 mm in length (with a 17 mm long tail), with a 67-74 mm long head, a 67-87 mm long hind foot, and a 34-45 mm long ear.
Underneath, on the inside of the legs, and below the chin, the fur is white, and it has black or dark brown stripes on a yellowish-grey background that becomes rusty brown towards the rump.
When folded forward, the black ears don’t quite reach the eye. The tail is rumped and crimson in colour, and the limbs are grey-brown.
Its plain grey-brown fur, absence of stripes, and somewhat longer ears help to distinguish it from Oryctolagus cuniculus, a similar-sized species that is sometimes maintained in captivity in Sumatra.
Their shorter, coarser hairs are covered by a thick layer of silky, dense fur.
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Where Does the Striped Rabbit Live?
The local greenhouses usually have a wide variety of plants that are native to the area where the Sumatran striped rabbit lives.
The montane forest is home to a wide variety of plant life, including oak trees, pitcher plants, ferns, laurels, orchids, moss, and rhododendrons. At such elevations, the air is thick with moisture.
It inhabits woods between 6,000 and 16,000 feet above sea level. It’s one of the few lagomorphs that like the humid woodland environment.
The Sumatran rabbit has very specialized habitat requirements, including a need for a high altitude and volcanic soil.
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What Makes Up the Diet of the Striped Rabbit?
Scientists have observed the Sumatran Striped Rabbit in the wild and deduced that it eats vegetation and flowers native to the highlands of Sumatra.
Many of these plants are unique to the Indonesian montane forest and can only be found there.
What is the Lifespan of the Striped Rabbit?
Another area where scientific consensus is lacking. We do know that, in comparison to other breeds, the Sumatran Striped Rabbit is on the smaller side, however, this may vary with gender and food.
The health problems of the Sumatran Striped Rabbit are likely the same as those of other rabbits because of the high degree of similarity between rabbit breeds. However, this requires confirmation from more studies.
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Conclusion
The IUCN has classified the species as “Data Deficient.” Its population size is unknown, although it is unusual and rarely seen in its natural environment.
Loss of forest cover and habitat may be contributing factors to its rarity. Without solid data on population size and distribution, funding for a conservation initiative was denied.
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