The riverine rabbit lives in separate areas of South Africa. It is active around dawn and dusk; some populations live along seasonal rivers.
Its fur ranges from gray to reddish brown, with a dark band on the jaw and white rings around the eyes. It has large ears and a short, fluffy tail.
The riverine rabbit was not restricted to riverbanks in a camera-trap study at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa. Researchers placed 150 cameras at 30 sites across 223.24 km². Their occupancy models found lower occurrence on rugged terrain and a pattern associated with the absence of scrub hares and Cape hares.
Rabbit and hare activity overlapped strongly in time, while the species were recorded at different sampled sites. The authors considered interspecific competition as one explanation for this spatial separation. They recommend that habitat assessment consider terrain and other lagomorphs alongside distance from rivers. Their camera study covered 30 independent sites in one reserve.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Camera records at 30 sites in Sanbona show that riverine rabbit occurrence cannot be described by riparian habitat alone. Terrain and the presence of other hares were also associated with occurrence, and the authors recommend considering interspecific interactions in habitat assessment. Non-co-occurrence does not prove competition, and this is one reserve. Surveys in other areas should compare habitat conditions and detection before generalizing. The study does not provide a current global category.