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Rabbits (Bunnies)
Introduction:
Rabbits are small mammals with long ears, and powerful
hind legs, with a short puff of fur for a tail. Each foot
has five digits (one reduced). Their fur is generally
long and soft, and its colour ranges through shades of
brown, grey, and buff. Exceptions are the black Amami
rabbit of Japan, and two black-striped species from Southeast
Asia. The rabbit family includes seven genera, with several
sub-genera, totalling about 28 different species.
Location:
Rabbits are ground dwellers that live in groups, usually
in underground burrows. They like dry, well-drained slopes
on field edges, grassland, woodland and dunes. Their natural
geographic range includes the middle latitudes of the
Western Hemisphere. In the Eastern Hemisphere rabbits
inhabit Europe, portions of Central and Southern Africa,
the Indian subcontinent, Sumatra, and Japan.
Size:
Their ears can measure up to more than 2" (6 cm)
long. Full-bodied and egg-shaped, wild rabbits are rather
uniform in body proportions and stance. The smallest is
the pygmy rabbit at only 8" (20 cm) in length and
0.9 lbs (0.4 kg) in weight, while larger species of rabbits
can grow to 20" (50 cm) and more than 10 lbs (4.5
kg).
Food:
A rabbit's diet consists of grasses, leafy weeds, growing
trees, tree bark, small herbs and agricultural crops.
As a result, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose,
which is hard for them to digest. To solve this problem,
rabbits pass two distinctive types of feces: hard droppings
and soft black pellets, the latter of which they eat immediately.
By re-ingesting their own droppings, they are able to
fully digest the food and extract sufficient nutrients.
Life Cycle:
Rabbits generally are able to breed at a young age, and
many regularly conceive litters of up to seven young,
often doing so four or five times a year, as a rabbit's
gestation period is only 28 to 31 days. Newborn rabbits
are naked, blind, and helpless at birth. Mothers commonly
nurse their young only once per day and for just a few
minutes, as the milk of rabbits is highly nutritious and
among the richest of that of all mammals. The young grow
rapidly, and most are weaned in about a month. In the
wild their longevity averages one year, but captives can
live upwards of ten years.
Interesting Facts:
· Rabbits are incapable of vomiting due to
the physiology of their digestive system.
· Many rabbits dig burrows, except for cottontails
and hispid hares.
· Scent, not sound, is their predominant means
to communication.
· Their long hind limbs and strengthened pelvis
enable them to reach speeds of up to 80 km (50 miles)
per hour.
· A rabbit's teeth never stop growing.
· Rabbits can see behind them without turning
their heads.
· They're most active at dusk and dawn.
Population & Predators:
Currently, a healthy population of most species of rabbits
exists due to relatively large litters and a short gestation
period. However, it is important to recognize the role
that predation plays in keeping rabbit populations in
balance. Hawks and owls are important avian predators,
and foxes, raccoons, skunks, badgers, weasels, cats and
opossums are mammals that prey on rabbits.
Help Protect Their Environment:
· Help preserve and encourage the protection
of grasslands, woodlands and other areas that rabbits
inhabit. Even though humans sometimes regard them as a
major pest, due to the fact that they can cause damage
to crops, gardens and the countryside, rabbits are an
important part of maintaining a balanced eco-system. Rabbits
provide their predators with much needed food, and they
help suppress the growth of shrubs by nibbling the growing
shoots on our downland and cliff tops. The resulting turf
encourages the growth of low-growing plants, and in turn,
these small flowering plants attract many butterflies.
The short grass is suitable for other insects such as
ants, which attract many species of birds.
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