San José brush rabbit
The San José brush rabbit is a critically endangered subspecies of the brush rabbit, in the family Leporidae.
Taxonomy
It was formerly thought to be its own species, but more recent studies indicate that it is a subspecies of S. bachmani.Distribution
It is endemic to the San José Island in the Gulf of California, a desert habitat island in the state of Baja California Sur in Mexico. The island is only separated from the mainland by a channel. The rabbit only occurs on roughly with a population density estimated at 25-35 individuals per km2.Conservation
The subspecies is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, which was last updated on May 31, 2016. This is due primarily to predation by feral cats, and are also effected by habitat loss, human developments and rats and hunting which have all led to population declines since 1995/1996.To preserve the species it has been recommended that the feral cats be removed and further research be conducted. Although protected under Mexican law they are commonly poached by hunters legally hunting invasive goat species.