Volcano rabbit
Romerolagus diazi (Ferrari-Pérez, 1893)
The volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) is a species in the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha. Recorded adults weigh 476.6 g to 480 g and live up to 9.15 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Quick facts about the volcano rabbit
- Weight
- 476.6 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 9.15 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 38 days – 40 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.14src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 6.12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Active
- Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the volcano rabbit live?
Not recorded
What is the volcano rabbit?
The volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) (Spanish: conejo de los volcanes), also known as the teporingo or zacatuche, is a species of small rabbit that lives in pine and alder forests on volcanic slopes in Mexico. It is the only species in the genus Romerolagus and is considered to be the most primitive species among the rabbits and hares. It has small, rounded ears, short legs, a large forehead, and short, thick fur. It is one of the world's smallest rabbits, lives in groups consisting of between two and five members, and makes burrows (underground nests) and runways (worn-down, frequently traveled surface paths) among bunchgrasses. Up to three young are produced per litter, born in nests formed from shallow depressions in the ground lined with fur and plant matter.
Uniquely among the rabbits, the volcano rabbit emits high-pitched sounds to warn other rabbits of danger, a habit common in the related pikas. It is awake and most active in the early morning and evening. Populations have been estimated as approximately 7,000 adult individuals over their entire range. Human developments surrounding the volcano rabbit's habitat—including overgrazing, hunting, and burning of the species' preferred scrublands—have caused significant declines in population, even in protected parks. Both the IUCN and the Mexican government consider the volcano rabbit an endangered species. It is listed on Appendix I of the CITES treaty, which is intended to restrict trade of the animal.
From the Wikipedia article “Volcano rabbit” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Volcano_rabbit&oldid=1376997123), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the volcano rabbit endangered?
The volcano rabbit is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.
How is the volcano rabbit classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderLagomorpha
- familyLeporidae
- genusRomerolagus
- SpeciesRomerolagus diazi (Ferrari-Pérez, 1893)
Synonyms Lepus diazi
Other names and names in other languages (25)
- králík lávovýCzech
- VulkankaninchenGerman
- Ηφαιστειόβιο ΚουνέλιGreek
- Κουνέλι του ηφαιστείουGreek
- Ρομερολαγός του ΝτίαςGreek
- TeporingoSpanish
- Conejo De DíazSpanish
- Conejo De Los VolcanesSpanish
- Conejo ZacatucheSpanish
- ZacatucheSpanish
- tulivuorikaniiniFinnish
- Lapin De DiazFrench
- Lapin Des VolcansFrench
- ארנבון געשיHebrew
- メキシコウサギJapanese
- 화산토끼Korean
- 멕시코토끼Korean
- VulkankaninNorwegian Bokmål
- VulkaankonijnDutch
- Królik wulkanowyPolish
- króliczak wulkanicznyPolish
- Coelho-dos-vulcõesPortuguese
- Бесхвостый кроликRussian
- Meksika Yanardağ TavşanıTurkish
- 火山兔Chinese
Relatives of the volcano rabbit
Other species in the same family Leporidae.

European rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus

European hare
Lepus europaeus

Mountain hare
Lepus timidus

Arctic hare
Lepus arcticus

Snowshoe hare
Lepus americanus

Cape hare
Lepus capensis
CompareVolcano rabbit vs European rabbitVolcano rabbit vs European hareVolcano rabbit vs Mountain hareVolcano rabbit vs Arctic hare
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the volcano rabbit?
An adult volcano rabbit weighs 476.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the volcano rabbit endangered?
The volcano rabbit is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
How long does the volcano rabbit live?
The volcano rabbit has a recorded lifespan of 9.15 years.
How long is the volcano rabbit pregnant?
The recorded gestation period is 38 days – 40 days.
What kind of animal is the volcano rabbit?
The volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi) belongs to the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/volcano-rabbit
“Volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/volcano-rabbit.
@misc{volcano_rabbit_2026,
title = {Volcano rabbit (Romerolagus diazi)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/volcano-rabbit},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}