European Rabbit

Appearance

The European Rabbit is a small, grey-brown mammal ranging from 34–45 cm in length, and is approximately 1.3-2.2 kg in weight. As a lagomorph, it has four sharp incisors that grow continuously throughout its life, and two peg teeth on the top behind the incisors, dissimilar to those of rodents. Rabbits have long ears, large hind legs, and short, fluffy tails. Rabbits move by hopping, using their long and powerful hind legs. To facilitate quick movement, a rabbit's hind feet have a thick padding of fur to dampen the shock of rapid hopping. Their toes are long, and are webbed to keep from spreading apart as the animal jumps.

Status

Portuguese National Authorities have classified the rabbit as Near Threatened in Portugal, whilst Spanish authorities recently re-classified the rabbit as Vulnerable in Spain. In 2008, the European Rabbit was re-classified by the World Conservation Union as "Near Threatened" in its native range due to the extent of recent declines

Behavior

Rabbits live in warrens that contain 2-10 other individuals living in smaller groups to ensure greater breeding success. Territoriality and aggression contribute greatly to the rabbits maturation process and help ensure survival of the population. Mature male and females are better at fighting off predators. Females tend to be more territorial than males although the areas that are most frequented by females are not defended. Rabbit mark their territories with dung hills. They expel soft mucus-covered pellets that are then reingested. They also expel larger pellets that are covered with secretion from the anal gland. A rabbit’s success in repelling strangers depends on the potency of the pellets. When young rabbits leave their natal warrens, they settle either in pre-existing territories, unoccupied established territories or become transients. Females tend to move into neighboring territories while males tend to move even farther. Overall, males disperse more than females.

The rabbit mating system is rather complex. Dominant males exhibit polygyny, whereas lower-status individuals often form monogamous breeding relationships. Rabbits signal when they are ready to copulate by marking inanimate objects while giving off odoriferous substances though their chin gland, a process known as "chinning". Dominance hierarchies exist in parallel for both males and females. Social rank is based on the amount of group aggression. The dominant buck has greater mobility and more aggression than the dominant doe. This is likely because males have to fight each other for the females. The social hierarchy of males is also determined by a number of other factors, such as the size patrol area, the number of females that visit his area, resting time near females, the number of shelters he visits, and the distance he travels daily.

Rabbits can be extremely aggressive in the wild, and competition between males can often lead to severe injury and death. Although hostile displays are used, and males often squirt urine on challengers as a form of territorial marking, the most common response to a challenge is immediate attack. Rabbits use their powerful back legs as weapons, kicking at an opponent's underside, as well as biting and scratching with the front paws.

Habitat

Rabbits are gregarious, social animals, living in medium-sized colonies known as warrens. Rabbits are largely crepuscular, being most active around dawn and dusk, although they are not infrequently seen active during the day. During the day, rabbits prefer to reside in vegetated patches which they use for protection from predators.

At night, they move into open prairie to feed. Rabbit populations seem to be greatest in ecotone habitats and less in scrublands or grasslands. Rabbits are essentially mixed-feeders, both grazing and browsing, but grass is their primary food source. They nevertheless have a diverse diet of grasses, leaves, buds, tree bark, and roots. They will also eat lettuce, cabbage, root vegetables, and grains. Birds of prey are the primary predators of rabbits in scrublands. Rabbits in grasslands are preyed on by carnivores. Ecotone rabbits are preyed on by both.

Reproduction

Rabbits are famed for their reproductive capabilities. Although certainly not the strongest, fastest, or smartest of the mammals, they have carved out a strong ecological niche through their rate of impregnation, due to the fact that female rabbits ovulate at the time of copulation. One striking example of rapid rabbit reproduction took place in Australia, where the 24 rabbits first introduced in 1859 had multiplied in number to over 600 million over the course of less than a century.

The gestation cycle for a rabbit averages 31 days, although it can vary anywhere between 29 and 35 days. Litter sizes generally range between two to twelve rabbits. The young are born in a nesting burrow dug by the female, which she returns to once a day for four weeks in order for them to suckle. The rabbit's reproductive abilities were the inspiration for the phrase "breeding like rabbits". They can reproduce from 3–4 months of age. They can produce 4-7 litters of offspring per year, a mature female can be pregnant continuously for 6–8 months. One single pair of mature rabbits are able to produce 30-40 offspring per year. Kittens are born in a nest in an isolated part of the warren. The female build, prepare and defend the nest. A doe will mark the nest with urine and fecal dropping to detract others from invading the site. Does take care of the kittens without help from the bucks. However, bucks show considerable investment in the welfare of young, although much of this aspect of rabbit behavior is poorly understood. It is possible that the males may be trying to enhance their social status by being surrounded by friendly individuals.