European rabbit records in Montana cluster around Red Rock Lakes, Flathead Lake, and the Missouri River corridor, though with only 38 total records the species is thinly and unevenly documented statewide. The species is the ancestor of the domestic pet rabbit, and Montana sightings likely include escaped or released animals as much as any persisting population.
July alone carries the largest share of the year’s reports, though with a record this small any single-month spike should be read loosely. The IUCN lists the European rabbit as globally Endangered, its native Iberian range devastated by disease, even as introduced populations like Montana’s small one persist far outside that shrinking home range.
Full species profile
