Sylvilagus floridanus (J. A. Allen 1890)

Maximum longevity: 9.8 years (captivity) Observations: In the wild, these animals appear to live up to 5 years. In captivity, they have been reported to live more than 9 years (http://www.demogr.mpg.de/longevityrecords). One captive specimen lived 8.4 years at Tulsa Zoo (Richard Weigl 2005). There are anecdotal reports, which may be true, of one animal living 9.8 years in captivity (Steven Austad, pers. comm.). Other estimates suggest they may live over 10 years (Chapman et al. 1980), but this is unverified.