Rabbit

Rabbits (also known as bunnies) are widely distributed small herbivore mammals that belong to the family Leporidae in the order Lagomorpha. Rabbits live in groups in forests, grasslands, woods, meadows, wetlands and deserts. The expected lifespan of a typical rabbit is about 9–12 years. The world's longest-lived rabbit was 18 years old at the time of its death. The best known species of rabbit is the European Rabbit. It lives in rabbit holes, or underground burrows. A group of burrows is called a warren.

The male rabbit is called a buck, the female rabbit is called a doe and a young rabbit is called a kitten or kit. Rabbits are incapable of vomiting.

Rabbits have large, powerful hind legs with 4 toes in each hind foot. The two front paws have 5 toes, the extra called the dewclaw. A rabbit's long ears, which can be more than 10 cm (4 inches) long, are probably an adaptation for detecting predators. The length of wild rabbits can range anywhere from 20 cm (8 inches) to 50 cm (20 inches) and the weight of wild rabbits can range from 0.4 kg to more than 2 kg. The Rabbit is an obligate nasal breather. A typical rabbit has two sets of incisor teeth, one behind the other. Rabbits are different from rodents. However, it is believed that rabbits and rodents share a common lineage.

North America has more than half the rabbit population of the world. Rabbits are also native to Southeast Asia, Sumatra, some islands of Japan, southwestern Europe, and parts of Africa and South America. The European rabbit has been introduced to many places around the world.

As rabbits are relatively small in size, they are the main prey of many wild animals. Consequently, as an adaptation, rabbits have a wide field of vision. They are always aware of their surroundings. If confronted by a potential threat, a rabbit may freeze, observe and then warn other rabbits in the warren with powerful thumps on the ground. Rabbits survive predation by burrowing and hopping away in a zig - zag manner. If a rabbit is captured, it tries to escape by biting with its strong teeth and by kicking with its hind legs. Rabbits are a common food item of large pythons, such as Burmese pythons and reticulated pythons, both in the wild and in captivity.

Rabbits serve as a meat in some regions of the world. European rabbits and hares are a food meat in North America, South America, Europe and some parts of the Middle East. Rabbit is still sold in UK butchers and markets.

Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of raising rabbits for meat. It is practiced in regions where rabbit is used as food. Rabbits are also hunted for meat. Guns or Snares are usually employed for catching wild rabbits for food. Rabbits that are caught can be killed by hitting the back of their heads.

Rabbit meat is rich in protein. It has less fat when compared to beef, and chicken meat. Rabbit products are generally categorized into three types: Fryer (young rabbit between 4.5 and 5 pounds and up to 9 weeks in age. This type of meat is tender and fine grained), Roaster (rabbit with weight over 5 pounds and up to 8 months in age. The flesh is firm and coarse grained and less tender than a fryer) and giblets (which include the liver and heart). However, Rabbit meat is associated with several health issues such as tularemia (rabbit fever) and rabbit starvation (due to the deficiency of essential fatty acids in rabbit meat).

House rabbits are pet rabbits kept indoors. They are generally kept in a cage or indoor pen and a rabbit-safe place to run and exercise. Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box and some can learn to come when called. Domestic rabbits that do not live indoors can serve as companions for their owners, typically living in an easily accessible hutch outside the home. Whether indoor or outdoor, pens of pet rabbits are often equipped with enrichment activities such as tunnels, shelves, balls, and other toys. Pet rabbits are often provided additional space in which they get exercise. Exercise pens or lawn pens are often used to provide a safe place for rabbits to run.

The diet of a pet rabbit typically consists of grass, pellets, and fresh vegetables. Pet rabbits are often provided with unrestricted access to fresh clean water. Rabbits are social animals. Pet rabbits can become companions of humans, other rabbits, guinea pigs, and sometimes even cats and dogs.

As a result of their appetites, and the rate at which they multiply, rabbits have been a source of environmental problems in many areas, especially in the wild. In Australia and New Zealand, rabbits are considered as pests. Land owners are legally obliged to control them. Shooting, snaring, gassing, ferreting and barriers (fences) have been used to control rabbit populations, but the most effective measures are diseases such as myxomatosis (myxo or mixi, colloquially) and calicivirus. In Europe, where rabbits are farmed on a large scale, they are protected against myxomatosis and calicivirus with a genetically modified virus. The virus was developed in Spain, and is beneficial to rabbit farmers.