lagomorph

At the time, Washington had a few native lagomorphs — pikas in the mountains, pygmy rabbits in the sagebrush — but no S. floridanus.

Scientists are worried that RHDV2 could threaten the riparian brush rabbit population, along with other rare or endangered species of lagomorphs.

But one of the hares journeyed a record-breaking 388 kilometers—the longest known journey of any lagomorph, a group of animals that includes rabbits, hares, and pika—researchers reported last month in Ecology.

And as for “Roger Rabbit,” do you really want your source material about L.A.’s electric streetcar system to come from a cast of animated lagomorphs?

Overall, just two species of North American lagomorph are considered stable; the rest are declining because of threats such as climate change or habitat degradation from livestock grazing.