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Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit

Photo: MarshBunny
Photo: MarshBunny

The scientific name for this tiny rabbit that lives only in the Florida Keys is Sylvilagus palustris hefneri—named after Hugh Hefner, whose Playboy Corporation helped provide funding for research on the bunnies. The population of this critter is estimated to be just a couple hundred individuals. Climate change poses a specific threat to this rabbit, which nests in the ground, as sea level rise is threatening its habitat.