Tapeti

Tapeti

Sylvilagus brasiliensis

Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at El Impenetrable National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%

6 Verified sightings at El Impenetrable National Park From 2019 to 2026
77 In all 6 parks
October Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Tapeti

The common tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis), also known as the Brazilian cottontail, forest cottontail, or (formerly) simply tapeti is a species of cottontail rabbit. It is small to medium-sized with a small, dark tail, short hind feet, and short ears. As traditionally defined, its range extends from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, but this includes several distinctive population that have since been split into separate species. Under this narrower definition, the true common tapeti only occurs in the Atlantic Rainforest of coastal northeastern Brazil and it is classified as an endangered species by the IUCN. The American Society of Mammalogists concurs, but also tentatively classifies several distinct populations that have not yet received proper species names into S. brasiliensis, and so considers it to range from Venezuela south to Argentina.

The species was first described scientifically by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, published in 1753. The type locality was in Pernambuco, Brazil. In addition to its vernacular name "tapeti", it commonly known as the "forest cottontail" or "Brazilian cottontail".

As many as 37 subspecies of the tapeti... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
2 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~20%
4 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
5 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%
6 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Tapeti in El Impenetrable National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Tapeti sighting in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 13 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Tapeti in El Impenetrable National Park?

October and November

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Tapeti in El Impenetrable National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Tapeti?

Between 6 and 9 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tapeti sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is El Impenetrable National Park the best place to see a Tapeti?

Yes

Of the 6 parks where we can rate Tapeti sightings, El Impenetrable National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Chapada Diamantina National Park (Brazil, about 20%) and Iguazú National Park (Argentina, about 20%).

Where does the Tapeti sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Tapeti is recorded against all the mammals logged in El Impenetrable National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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