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Photo: G. Bradley |
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UK
Safari Tip:
Discover more about rabbits and other animals with the ID chart called
"British Land Mammals" - click here
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Latin name: Oryctolagus cuniculus
Size: Grows to around 45cms long.
Distribution: Found throughout the UK.
Months seen: All year round.
Habitat: Farmland, grassland and sometimes gardens. They live in underground burrows, known as 'warrens'.
Food: Rabbits eat many types of vegetation including grass and farm crops. Where rabbits graze on downlands they form an essential habitat for butterflies and other insects.
Special features: Rabbits were probably introduced into Britain from France in the 11th century by the Normans, who kept them for meat and fur. Descendents of the few which escaped from captivity can now be seen throughout the U.K.
A female rabbit can produce around 20 offspring each year, which are known as kittens. As a result the rabbit is now the most commonly seen mammal in Britain. In winter the population numbers around 40 million. When the population peaks in summer there can be as many as 300 million!
 Rabbits have excellent hearing, and the position of their eyes gives them such a wide field of vision, that they can almost see what's coming
from behind.
Their large eyes are also good for seeing in the dark, which is useful when they are
underground in their burrows. Their whiskers also help them to feel their way through their tunnels.
 When disturbed, they flash their white 'powder-puff' tails as a warning to other rabbits of danger.
Rabbits in the UK can be affected by the Myxomatosis virus
which is spread by biting insects.
Did You Know?
Recent fossil evidence discovered in southern Mongolia suggests rabbits and rodents evolved from other mammals about 65 to 70 million years ago.
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UK Safari Mammal Section
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