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The term rabbit is typically used for all Leporidae species, excluding the genus Lepus. Members of that genus are known as hares [20] or jackrabbits. [21] Lepus species are precocial, born relatively mature and mobile with hair and good vision out in the open air, while rabbit species are altricial, born hairless and blind in burrows and buried ...
Different breeds of rabbit at an exhibition in the Netherlands, 1952. As of 2017, there were at least 305 breeds of the domestic rabbit in 70 countries around the world raised for in the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their value in meat, fur, wool, education, scientific research, entertainment and companionship in cuniculture. [1]
The 64 extant species of Leporidae are contained within 11 genera. One genus, Lepus, contains 32 species that are collectively referred to as hares; the other eight genera are generally referred to as rabbits, with the majority – 19 species – in Sylvilagus, or the cottontail rabbits. Over one hundred extinct Leporidae species have been ...
The common name "rabbit" usually applies to all genera in the family except Lepus, while members of Lepus (almost half the species) usually are called hares. Like most common names, however, the distinction does not match current taxonomy completely; jackrabbits are members of Lepus , and members of the genera Pronolagus and Caprolagus ...
Rabbits play an important part in the terrestrial food chain, eating a wide range of forbs, grasses, and herbs, and being part of the staple diet of many carnivorous species. Domestic rabbits can be litter box trained, and—assuming they are given sufficient room to run and a good diet—can live long lives as house pets.
The 64 extant species of Leporidae are divided into 11 genera, though the majority of the species are placed into Sylvilagus (cottontail rabbits) and Lepus (hares); the 29 extant species of Ochotonidae are grouped into a single genus, Ochotona.
Male rabbits are called bucks; females are called does.An older term for an adult rabbit is coney, while rabbit once referred only to the young animals. [1] Another term for a young rabbit is bunny, though this term is often applied informally (especially by children and rabbit enthusiasts) to rabbits generally, especially domestic ones.
The European rabbit is the only rabbit species that has been domesticated and all 305 global rabbit breeds— from Netherland Dwarf to Flemish Giant— are descendants of the European rabbit. Rabbits are an example of an animal that can be treated as a food, a pet, or a pest by different members of the same culture.