Rabbits
European rabbit
(Oryctolagus cuniculus)
The ancestor of all domestic rabbits, the European rabbit has become
so successful that it is considered a pest in many areas.
Life span
Up to 9 years.
Statistics
Head-body length: 30-40 cm, Weight: 1.2-2kg.
Physical Description
Rabbits are smaller and less gangly than hares, and have shorter ears.
The tips of the ears are brown, and the upper surface of the tail is
dark brown. The characteristic white flash on the underside of the
tail can be seen when the animal is fleeing. The body fur is brown/grey.
Distribution
Rabbits are widespread in western Europe, including the Balearic Islands,
Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and the British Isles. They are also found
in North Africa and have been introduced to Australia, New Zealand
and North and South America.
Habitat
They live on heath land, open meadow, grassland, woodland, the fringes
of agricultural land and dry sandy soil, including sand dunes, but
they avoid coniferous forests.
Diet
Rabbits eat the leaves of a wide range of vegetation including agricultural
crops, cereals, young trees and cabbages. In winter, they eat grasses,
bulbs and bark. They re-ingest their faeces for nutritional benefit.
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Behaviour
Rabbits have a burrow system known as a warren, and tunnels can be
1-2m long. The nest at the end of the tunnel is lined with grass, moss
and belly fur. They use regular trails, which they scent mark with faecal
pellets. They damage crops & grassland by digging shallow holes to
get at roots as well as eating the grass/crops. They will also destroy
many garden plants & small trees.
Reproduction
Mating occurs throughout the year with most litters born between February
and August. Litters range in size between 3 and 12, after a gestation
period of 28-33 days, and the kittens are weaned after 28 days. Due to
this rapid breeding potential rabbit populations can withstand high mortality
from natural causes, so control efforts by man must add to these, not
merely replace them, if direct control is to be effective. Because of
the size of the effort required, and the rabbit's inherent capacity for
population increase, complete eradication is impractical. Instead, the
aim should be to reduce rabbit numbers to levels at which damage is economically
acceptable.
Rabbits do not respect boundaries and the most effective results will
be achieved if management action is undertaken on adjoining land at the
same time in a co-operative exercise. Fencing areas & then eliminating
the population in the fenced areas can be undertaken. But control may
take some time.
Conservation status
Rabbit populations are increasing, as they are becoming immune to the
myxomatosis virus. Rabbits become sexually mature after just four months
and breed rapidly, so they can readily replace themselves. The introduction
of the disease myxamatosis into the rabbit population in the 1950's put
a temporary reduction on the rabbit population. However, in the past
20 years or so, widespread resistance to the disease has resulted in
greater numbers being seen across the country - in many places back up
to 1950's levels. As previously mentioned rabbits are vermin & landowners
have a legal obligation to control them. |
