HABITAT: The Pygmy Rabbit is closely associated with aggregations of sagebrush (Artemisia) throughout 

 their range, especially preferring tall dense clumps of big sage {A. thdentata) growing in loose soils; sage- 

 brush is the major component of the diet. In Idaho it also occupies areas supporting greasewood 

 {Sarcobatus). In southwestern Wyoming, the pygmy rabbit selectively uses dense and structurally diverse 

 stands of sagebrush that accumulate a relatively large amount of snow; the subnivean environment provides 

 access to a relatively constant supply of food while providing protection from predators and extreme cold 

 weather. The Pygmy Rabbit makes extensive use of burrows largely of their own construction, with en- 

 trances usually located at the base of sagebrush plants; burrows may have three or more entrances. 



COMMENTS : The Pygmy Rabbit may be locally abundant but unevenly distributed. It may have moved 

 into Montana as sagebrush habitat increased in Beaverhead County following fire suppression during the late 

 nineteenth century. The known distribution in Montana apparently has not changed much during the last 1 00 

 years. 



REFERENCES: 



Green, J. S., and J. T. Flinders. 1980. Brachylagus idahoensis. Mammalian Species No. 125:1-4. 



Rauscher, R. L. 1997. Status and distribution of the Pygmy Rabbit in Montana Montana Fish, Wildlife & 

 Parks Nongame Program, Bozeman, MT. 1 9 pp. + appendices. 



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