Andean Tapeti

Fascinating facts about the Andean Tapeti

• Scientists once lumped the Andean tapeti with the common tapeti, calling it a subspecies of Sylvilagus brasiliensis. It was previously considered a subspecies of the common tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis). Genetic work in 2017 split the group, showing enough DNA differences to grant full species status.
• At just over a foot long, the Andean tapeti measures 326-353 mm from nose to rump. Its hindfeet stretch 64-81 mm. The tail is a mere 6-7 % of its body length.
• The Andean tapeti roams the treeless Páramo. Living at high elevations in the treeless Páramo of the Andes, analysis in 2017 confirmed that it is sufficiently distinct in both appearance and genetics to be considered a species in its own right.
• It serves an important ecological role as a pervasive herbivore consuming a wide variety of plant species as well as an important food source for several predators.
• The Andean tapeti's range stretches across four countries, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador. The Andean tapeti (Sylvilagus andinus) or Andean cottontail is a species of cottontail rabbit native to Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Ecuador.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Andean Tapeti

In the misty dawn of the Andean highlands, the Andean tapeti emerges, its large brown eyes watchful as it navigates the dense underbrush with a quiet confidence. With each gentle leap, its long hind legs propel it effortlessly through the landscape, a masterful blend of stealth and agility that allows it to thrive in this rugged, windswept world. As it pauses to nibble on a tender shoot, its soft fur glistens with dew, a fleeting glimpse of a life lived in harmony with the harsh beauty of its mountain home.

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