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European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus


Where is it found?

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Farmland
Grassland
Scrubland

Diet and foraging method

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Grazes on flowers and vegetation.
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Key adaptations

Rabbits have a large field of vision by having high set eyes and a weak, but flexible, neck so can easily rotate their head. They also have very strong legs so that they can run fast and change direction quickly.
​Rabbits also have claws to help when burrowing in the ground and gripping the ground when running.

Social organisation and mating system

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Groups with up to ten individuals of each sex.
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Promiscuous.

Did you know that...?

Rabbits have a very high rate of reproduction; a single female can produce up to thirty young per year.

Taxonomy

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Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Oryctolagus cuniculus Tasmania 2" by JJ Harrison (jjharrison89@facebook.com) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_Tasmania_2.jpg#/media/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_Tasmania_2.jpg
"Oryctolagus cuniculus eating dandelions" by Gidzy - Young Wild Rabbit eating dandelion flower, Leighton Moss RSPB May 2009. Licenced under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_eating_dandelions.jpg#/media/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_eating_dandelions.jpg
"Oryctolagus cuniculus Finnish National Opera" by Thermos - Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_Finnish_National_Opera.jpg#/media/File:Oryctolagus_cuniculus_Finnish_National_Opera.jpg
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