[14], Rabbits have muscled hind legs that allow for maximum force, maneuverability, and acceleration that is divided into three main parts; foot, thigh, and leg. Nesolagus netscheriSumatran Striped Rabbit(Model), Oryctolagus cuniculusEuropean rabbit(Feral Tasmanian specimen), Pentalagus furnessiAmami rabbit(Taxidermy specimen), Romerolagus diaziVolcano rabbit(Taxidermy specimen), Sylvilagus aquaticusSwamp rabbit(Juvenile), Sylvilagus brasiliensisTapeti(Taxidermy specimen), Sylvilagus palustrishefneriLower Keysmarsh rabbit. Constriction is also used when the ambient temperature is much lower than that of the rabbit's core body temperature. When the ears are constricted it again limits blood flow through the ears to conserve the optimal body temperature of the rabbit. [citation needed] If the environment is relatively non-threatening, the rabbit will remain outdoors for many hours, grazing at intervals. Rabbits and hares were formerly classified in the order Rodentia (rodent) until 1912, when they were moved into a new order, Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). With the blood vessels being enlarged, the blood is able to pass through the large surface area which causes it to either heat or cool down. [40], The average female rabbit becomes sexually mature at 3 to 8 months of age and can conceive at any time of the year for the duration of her life. In addition to their meat, rabbits are used for their wool, fur, and pelts, as well as their nitrogen-rich manure and their high-protein milk. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The virus was introduced to the Australian population during the early 1950s, and, although the initial wave of infection killed nearly all rabbits in Australia (99 percent), subsequent waves proved to be less effective, as the rabbits quickly developed immunity and the virus became less virulent. Skeletal adaptations such as long hind limbs and a strengthened pelvic girdle enable their agility and speed (up to 80 km [50 miles] per hour). The opposite can be seen in rabbits that live in hotter climates, mainly because they possess longer ears that have a larger surface area that help with dispersion of heat as well as the theory that sound does not travel well in more arid air, opposed to cooler air. This double-digestion process enables rabbits to utilize nutrients that they may have missed during the first passage through the gut and thus ensures that maximum nutrition is derived from the food they eat. Further, the presence of a soft and hard palate allow the rabbit to breathe through its nose while it feeds. Encephalitozoon cuniculi, an obligate intracellular parasite is also capable of infecting many mammals including rabbits. With its widespread effect on ecologies and cultures, the rabbit (or bunny) is, in many areas of the world, a part of daily life—as food, clothing, a companion, and a source of artistic inspiration. [17], Within the order lagomorphs, the ears are utilized to detect and avoid predators. If you have a rabbit, you quickly learn that rabbits rule the … [56] They are also native to southwestern Europe, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, some islands of Japan, and in parts of Africa and South America. [11], The anatomy of rabbits' hind limbs are structurally similar to that of other land mammals and contribute to their specialized form of locomotion. Not all rabbits are cute and tiny. [20], The auricle, also known as the pinna, is a rabbit's outer ear. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Sylvilagus includes 13 wild rabbit species, among them the seven types of cottontail. favorite this post Mar 8 Find your perfect bunny pet today. Appearance: Short, soft, flyback fur in six distinctive colorings: ruby … Rabbits are prey animals and are therefore constantly aware of their surroundings. [10] This process serves the same purpose in the rabbit as rumination does in cattle and sheep. A caught rabbit may be dispatched with a sharp blow to the back of its head, a practice from which the term rabbit punch is derived. The "rabbit test" is a term, first used in 1949, for the Friedman test, an early diagnostic tool for detecting a pregnancy in humans. Rabbits are ground dwellers that live in environments ranging from desert to tropical forest and wetland. [28][29] The larynx functions as the rabbit's voice box, which enables it to produce a wide variety of sounds. The muscles of rabbit's hind limbs can be classified into four main categories: hamstrings, quadriceps, dorsiflexors, or plantar flexors. Professor of Biology, Arizona State University, U.S. Chairman, Lagomorph Specialist Group, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). In Europe, where rabbits are farmed on a large scale, they are protected against myxomatosis and calicivirus with a genetically modified virus. Within the cochlea there is a basilar membrane that contains sensory hair structures utilized to send nerve signals to the brain so it can recognize different sound frequencies. The Rabbits, written by Australian author John Marsden, is a fable about colonisation, told from the viewpoint of the colonised.An unseen narrator describes the coming of ‘rabbits’ in the most minimal detail, an encounter that is at first friendly and curious, but later darkens as it becomes apparent that the visitors are invaders. 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