Are you ready to learn about the European Rabbit? Let’s hop to it!

 

This rabbit can range from 13 – 20 inches long , not counting the tail . It’s colour could be grey, brown, or even black. It has four sharp “inscissor” teeth (two on top and two on bottom) , plus other teeth on the sides . It has long ears , large hind legs , and a cute fluffy tail .

 

The European Rabbit burrows to make their homes. They live in mostly dry areas near sea level with soft and sandy soil for burrowing. These rabbits used to live in only small areas of France and northwest Africa, but now live on every continent except Asia and Antarctica. They are “near threatened” on the conservation scale. Though the trend for rabbits is decreasing, their population in 1990 in Australia was somewhere around 600 million!

 

European Rabbits are grazers, meaning they like to chew or nibble on grass and such. Most rabbits seem to have what some people call a “sweet tooth”. When they get this “sweet tooth”, they tend to raid gardens. Since fruits and veggies have high amounts of sugar, rabbits will use the garden as a kitchen table that says “eat as much as you like”, but they know when enough is enough. The main predators of Oryctolagus Cuniculus are foxes, eagles, feral cats, and minks. Though, if hungry enough, even stoats will kill a rabbit for food.

 

European rabbits are the rabbits you find in pet stores all over the US. They’re known as the common, or domestic, rabbit. They’re also considered adorable invaders.

 

Author: Kaylin J
Published: 02/2008

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Sources:

Matthew. "Species Profile : European Rabbit." Web log post. Invasivore. N.p., 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. <http://invasivore.org/?s=european+rabbit>. (population and conservation status)

N/a. "European Rabbit." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_rabbit>. (general description)

N/a. "European Rabbit: The Animal Files." European Rabbit: The Animal Files. N/a, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://www.theanimalfiles.com/mammals/rabbits_hares_pikas/european_rabbit.html>. (interesting facts)

Torontorabbits. "What Are the Feeding Habits of a Rabbit?" WikiAnswers. Answers, 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_feeding_habits_of_a_rabbit>. (diet and feeding habits)

<http://smithsonianscience.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/51562_580_360.jpg> (picture)