
Rabbits are small
mammals in the
family Leporidae of the order
Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different
genera in the family
classified as rabbits, including the
European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus),
cottontail rabbits (genus Sylvilagus; 13
species), and the
Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi, an
endangered species on
Amami Oshima,
Japan). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with cottontails, pikas and hares make up the Order Lagomorpha. Rabbits generally live between four and 10 years. A rabbit's gestation period is 31 days. Rabbits are clearly distinguished from hares in that rabbits are
altricial, having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are generally born with hair and are able to see. All rabbits (except the cottontail rabbit) live underground in burrows or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as does the cottontail rabbit), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been domesticated, while rabbits are often kept as house pets. In gardens, they are typically kept in hutches, small, wooden, house-like boxes that protect the rabbits from the environment and predators.Humans' relationship with the European (sometimes called true) rabbit was first recorded by the Phoenicians earlier than 1000
BCE, when they termed the
Iberian Peninsula i-shfaním (literally, the land of the
hyraxes). This phrase is pronounced identically in
modern Hebrew, i (אי) meaning island and shafan (שפן) meaning hyrax; shfaním (שפנים) is the plural form. Phoenicians called the local rabbits hyraxes because hyraxes resemble rabbits in some ways, and were probably more common than rabbits in their native land
Levant at the time. Hyraxes, like rabbits, are not rodents. The Romans converted the phrase i-shfaním to its Latin form, Hispania, which evolved into the modern Spanish word España, English Spain and such other variations of modern languages.
The
European Rabbit (
Oryctolagus cuniculus) is the only species of rabbit to be domesticated. All pet breeds of rabbits, such as dwarf lops, and angoras, are of this species. However, rabbits and humans interact in many different ways beyond
domestication. Rabbits are an example of an
animal which is treated as food, pet, and pest by members of the same culture.
When used for food, rabbits are both hunted and bred for meat.
Snares or
guns along with
dogs are usually employed when catching wild rabbits for food. In many regions, rabbits are also bred for meat, a practice called
cuniculture. Rabbits can then be killed by hitting the back of their heads, a practice from which the term
rabbit punch is derived. Rabbit
pelts are sometimes used in for clothing and accessories, such as scarves or hats. Rabbits are very good producers of manure; additionally, their urine, being high in nitrogen, makes lemon trees very productive. Their milk may also be of great medicinal or nutritional benefit due to its high protein content (see links below).
There are a number of health issues associated with the use of rabbits for meat, one of which is
Tularemia or Rabbit Fever. Another is so-called
rabbit starvation, due most likely to essential
amino acid deficiencies in rabbit meat and synthesis limitations in human beings.
One day, bunnies will TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
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