Details
Oryctolagus cuniculus
The European rabbit is a small burrowing rabbit of open ground. It feeds in grasslands, lives in warrens, and is the ancestor of domestic rabbits.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs in Palearctic and Australasian grassland, woodland edge, and urban areas. Diggable soil, short vegetation, and cover are important.
Length 34-50 cm; weight 1.1-2.5 kg. It has a compact body, long ears, short tail, and strong hind legs. Wild animals are grey-brown and well camouflaged on the ground.
Crepuscular and colonial, it uses networks of underground burrows. At alarm it bolts to cover or dives into the warren.
A herbivore, it eats grasses, leaves, shoots, and bark. Reingesting soft droppings helps extract nutrients from plant material.
Females can breed rapidly and give birth to litters in underground nest chambers. Young are born blind and develop in the burrow.
It is listed as Endangered in its native range, yet introduced populations can damage farms and native ecosystems. Disease and habitat change are major pressures where it is native.
