Annamite striped rabbits were first discovered in 1995. Only ten specimens have been collected and only a single live rabbit has been photographed in nature. Surridge et al. (1999) distinguished N. timminsi as a new species in 1999. Sumatran striped rabbits (Nesolagus netscheri) and Annamite striped rabbits (N. timminsi) are sister taxa within the monophyletic genus Nesolagus.
Little is know regarding communication or perception methods of Annamite striped rabbits.
Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
Annamite striped rabbits are listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Even with the acquisition of more information, however, this species is not likely to be listed as a species of Least Concern but rather somewhere from Near Threatened to Endangered because of habitat loss due to agriculture and logging as well as hunting pressures. Annamite striped rabbits are found in nature reserves within their natural geographic range such as Umat and Phong Nha and also the Nakai-Nam Theun conservation areas. They are also found in the Vietnam provincial protected area Nam Chat/Nam Pan and Xe Sap in Laos. However the Vietnamese and Laotian governments do not presently maintain any conservation plans for this species.
There are no known adverse effects of Annamite striped rabbits on humans.
Annamite striped rabbits have been used as a source of food and income by local residents of the Annamite Mountains in Laos and Vietnam. This species was first discovered being sold in a food market in Ban Lak, Laos between December 1995 and February 1996.
Positive Impacts: food
The impact of the Annamite striped rabbits on their ecosystem is unknown. As herbivores, they may act as seed dispersers.
All lagomorphs are herbivores that use hindgut fermentation to metabolize food, and they reingest their own soft feces in order to extract remaining nutrients. The specific diet of Annamite striped rabbits is not yet known. Its sister species Nesolagus netscheri feeds at night on plants that make up the forest understory. They remain hidden the understory while foraging rather than foraging in exposed clearings.
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore ); coprophage
Annamite striped rabbits (Nesolagus timminsi) are distributed along the border of Vietnam and Laos in the central and northern parts of the Annamite Mountains. They are found from the Pu Mat Nature Reserve to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
Biogeographic Regions: oriental (Native )
Annamite striped rabbits live in rainforests. The specific range of elevations they inhabit is currently unknown. Their sister species, Sumatran striped rabbits (Nesolagus netscheri) are found from 600 to 1400 m above sea level. Annamite striped rabbits have been found within this range except one specimen that was found at an altitude of 200 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: rainforest
The lifespan of Annamite striped rabbits is currently unknown.
Annamite striped rabbits are very similar in appearance to their sister species Sumatran striped rabbits. They have gray hair with seven dorsal stripes on the head and body that are black or dark brown in color. Striped rabbits have reddish-brown rumps, and body length ranges from 350 to 400 mm. Compared to members of the genus Lepus, striped rabbits have relatively short ears, tails and limbs; ear length of Nesolagus is half that of Lepus.
Annamite striped rabbits have a relatively primitive dental structure with a dental formula: I 2/1 P 3/2 M 3/3, and a simplified paedomorphic pattern on P3. Several skull features distinguish this species from its sister species *N. netscheri*; the foramen lacerum is smaller and narrower mediolaterally, P2 is 93% the length of P3 and has two folds on its anterior side (only 73% with one fold in N. netscheri), and the greatest skull length is 12% larger than N. netscheri (78.9 mm vs. 70 mm).
Range length: 350 to 400 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Natural predators of Annamite striped rabbits are widely unknown, though they are trapped by hunters in the Annamite Mountains. Annamite striped rabbits are killed in ground snares along hunting lines and by dogs that accompany hunters.
Known Predators:
Little is know regarding the mating systems of Annamite striped rabbits or its sister species, Sumatran striped rabbits.
Little is know regarding the reproduction of Annamite striped rabbits or its sister species, Sumatran striped rabbits, as few individuals have been observed.
Key Reproductive Features: semelparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Little is know regarding the reproduction of Annamite striped rabbits or its sister species, Sumatran striped rabbits. As mammals, mothers provide nourishment until weaning.
Parental Investment: pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female)
The Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) is a species of rabbit native to the Annamite mountain range on the Laos-Vietnam border. The rabbit is striped, with a red rump, and resembles the Sumatran striped rabbit. It only recently became known to Western scientists: striped rabbits were first observed in 1996 by biologist Rob Timmins in a market in Bak Lak in Laos, and the species was described in 2000 and named after Timmins' find.[3]
Its range includes the Northern and Central Annamites, and possibly the Southern Annamites. Very little is known of its ecology, nor why there is a thousand-mile gap between it and its nearest relative, the Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri). Molecular analysis indicates that the two diverged from a common ancestor about eight million years ago. They may have survived in forested refugia that remained when glacial ice sheets retreated after the last ice age.[4]
Threats to the species are hunting, either by snare or less likely by dogs and habitat loss which makes it more vulnerable to hunters. The most significant threats are snares, and cultivation at lower altitudes and agriculture throughout[5] and the least but increasing threats are extensive road building which opens undisturbed area to farmers and timber harvesters, dams and mining. It Is found in conservation areas Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Nakai–Nam Theun and Umat. Laos and Vietnam both have no conservation measures for this species. Records show Annamite striped rabbits can be common in suitable habitats and other areas show as uncommon and rare. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as endangered based on the high level of snaring activity in Vietnam, which is causing sharp declines in all ground-dwelling small mammals in the region.[2]
The Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi) is a species of rabbit native to the Annamite mountain range on the Laos-Vietnam border. The rabbit is striped, with a red rump, and resembles the Sumatran striped rabbit. It only recently became known to Western scientists: striped rabbits were first observed in 1996 by biologist Rob Timmins in a market in Bak Lak in Laos, and the species was described in 2000 and named after Timmins' find.
Its range includes the Northern and Central Annamites, and possibly the Southern Annamites. Very little is known of its ecology, nor why there is a thousand-mile gap between it and its nearest relative, the Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netscheri). Molecular analysis indicates that the two diverged from a common ancestor about eight million years ago. They may have survived in forested refugia that remained when glacial ice sheets retreated after the last ice age.
Threats to the species are hunting, either by snare or less likely by dogs and habitat loss which makes it more vulnerable to hunters. The most significant threats are snares, and cultivation at lower altitudes and agriculture throughout and the least but increasing threats are extensive road building which opens undisturbed area to farmers and timber harvesters, dams and mining. It Is found in conservation areas Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Nakai–Nam Theun and Umat. Laos and Vietnam both have no conservation measures for this species. Records show Annamite striped rabbits can be common in suitable habitats and other areas show as uncommon and rare. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as endangered based on the high level of snaring activity in Vietnam, which is causing sharp declines in all ground-dwelling small mammals in the region.