While working under David Shepherdson at the Oregon Zoo on her Masters Degree, Meghan investigated the role of familiarity and preference on female Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis, reproductive success as measured by litter production, size, and survivorship. Our findings suggest that both familiarity of mates and breeding with a preferred mate increased reproductive success in female pygmy rabbits. Rabbits that were neighbors prior to mating demonstrated at least three reproductive fitness measurements that were higher than animals who were not neighbors: litter production, kit survivorship to emergence, and kit survivorship to one year of age. Further, our study found that pairing rabbits with a preferred partner resulted in increased reproductive fitness by increasing litter production rates. Our results suggest that an integrated approach to breeding assignments in the pygmy rabbit captive breeding program, combining both genetic information and behavioral measures of preference, has the potential to increase the reproductive output of the program.
*This project was funded by the Oregon Zoo’s Future for Wildlife grant program
