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The rabbit behind the headline is the Omiltemi cottontail (Sylvilagus insonus), a rare species from Guerrero, Mexico. Scientists rediscovered it during a five-year search in the Sierra Madre del Sur. It had been missing from scientific records since the early 1900s—not known to be extinct, and not unknown to the people who live in the region.
What is the Omiltemi cottontail?
Sylvilagus insonus is a rabbit native to the Sierra Madre del Sur in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It is called a cottontail, but Re:wild’s species profile notes that the rabbit has a short black tail rather than the fluffy white tail many people associate with cottontails. It is also smaller overall and has smaller ears than other local rabbits. Re:wild’s species profile includes a photograph and description.
Where and how was it rediscovered?
Ecologist José Alberto Almazán-Catalán led a five-year search across the rabbit’s mountain range. According to Re:wild’s January 23, 2025 announcement, the team visited 10 areas and detected the rabbit in seven.
Those figures describe survey locations, not how many rabbits exist. They do not establish a population size or show that seven distinct populations were counted. The search drew on interviews with residents as well as field methods that included drones; local knowledge helped researchers decide where to look. Re:wild lost species officer Christina Biggs described the effort as using “everything from interviews to drones to find this little rabbit.”
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- This plush is approx. 4.5" x 9.5" x 7.5" in size.
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Why was the rabbit called “lost”?
The species had not been documented by scientists for more than a century. Re:wild describes it as lost to science since the early 1900s, while residents of the mountain region knew of the rabbit. “Rediscovered” therefore means that researchers found and documented it again; it does not mean an animal known to be extinct returned to life.
The “120 years” in the headline is a rounded description of the gap in scientific documentation, not a precise interval measured from a specific last-sighting date. Re:wild counted the rabbit as the 13th species rediscovered through its Search for Lost Species initiative as of its January 2025 announcement. That is the initiative’s tally at that time, not a global total.
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What is known—and still unknown—about its conservation?
Rediscovery is an important first step, but it does not show that the rabbit is abundant, increasing, or secure. Re:wild’s species profile lists its IUCN Red List status as Data Deficient, meaning the available information is insufficient to establish its conservation status more precisely.
Researchers say more work is needed to establish population size and learn about the rabbit’s behavior, ecology, and role within its range. Almazán-Catalán also identified January through June as a period needing more natural-history information. Re:wild describes that interval as the reproductive season and reports that higher numbers have been recorded then, but the available account does not provide a complete reproductive study or a population estimate.
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- Size and weight ; Product measures 10 x 5.25 x 8 in inches ; 25.4 x 13.335 x 20.32 in centemeters ; Product weighs approximately 0.26 pounds or 0.117 kilograms
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Re:wild reported in January 2025 that the newly established Sierra Tecuani biosphere reserve covered the rabbit’s then-known range. At that time, however, no special conservation measures for the Omiltemi cottontail were in place. Range overlap with a protected area is not itself proof that a species has species-specific protection or that threats are controlled.
Residents told researchers they would be willing to help protect the rabbit if evidence showed that poaching or subsistence hunting was contributing to a population decline. That possibility has not been established as a measured cause of decline.
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What the rediscovery means
The finding restores a species missing from scientific records and gives researchers a basis for studying it in the wild. It also underscores why “lost to science” should not be confused with “unknown to local people.” The next conservation decisions depend on information the rediscovery alone cannot provide: how many rabbits remain, how they live, and whether specific pressures require action.
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Best Value
- This plush is approx. 7" x 12" x 4.5" in size
- Made from the finest quality of materials for lasting love
- This sleepy bunny plush is hand-stitched like all Miyoni stuffed animals, so each one is made with love!
- Each Miyoni features a special hang tag with unique species information
- To ensure stability and quality, this plush contains bean pellets suitable for all ages
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