Terminology, Taxonomy, and Domestication
- Male rabbit: buck
- Female rabbit: doe
- Older term for adult rabbit: coney
- Another term for young rabbit: bunny
- Group of rabbits: colony or warren
- Rabbits and hares were formerly classified as rodents
- Rabbits belong to the order Lagomorpha
- Lepus species are hares, not rabbits
- Hares are generally larger than rabbits
- Descendants of the European rabbit are commonly bred as livestock and pets
- European rabbit has been widely domesticated since ancient Rome
- Selective breeding has generated a wide variety of rabbit breeds
- Some rabbit strains bred for research purposes
- Rabbits bred for meat and fur
- Rabbit fur comes in various colors and patterns
Biology and Evolution
- Rabbits are obligate nasal breathers
- Rabbits have two sets of incisor teeth
- All rabbit teeth continue to grow
- Rabbits have large hind leg bones and well-developed musculature
- Rabbits use their claws for digging and defense
- Rabbits share a common lineage with rodents
- Recent DNA analysis supports their common ancestry
- Rabbits and rodents are now grouped together in the superorder Glires
- Rabbits have a field of vision of nearly 360 degrees
- Rabbits have a more digitigrade posture while running
Hind limb structure and function
- Hind limbs are longer than forelimbs, providing more force.
- Rabbits run on their toes to optimize stride during locomotion.
- Force from hind limbs is contributed by structural anatomy and muscles.
- Fusion of tibia and fibula enhances force output.
- Muscular features play a role in hind limb force generation.
Relationship between muscles and bone health
- Bone formation and removal are influenced by hind limb muscles.
- Muscle action pressure creates force distributed through skeletal structures.
- Rabbits generating less force are more prone to osteoporosis.
- Osteoporosis in rabbits is caused by bone rarefaction.
- Hind limb muscles play a role in preventing bone rarefaction.
Impact of muscle fiber composition and role in acceleration
- More muscle fibers in a muscle result in increased force generation.
- Muscle fiber composition affects hind limb strength.
- Fiber composition influences the force output of hind limb muscles.
- Rabbits with more muscle fibers have greater hind limb power.
- Hind limb muscles contribute to acceleration in rabbits.
- Muscular force aids in rapid acceleration.
- Acceleration is divided into foot, thigh, and leg movements.
- Hind limb muscles generate the force necessary for acceleration.
- Structural anatomy and muscle features support acceleration.
- Hind limb structure is an exaggerated feature in rabbits.
- Longer hind limbs provide increased force during locomotion.
- Hind limb muscles are crucial for bone health and force generation.
- Structural anatomy and muscular features work together for optimal performance.
- Hind limb anatomy and muscles are key factors in rabbit locomotion.
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes the pikas). Oryctolagus cuniculus is the European rabbit, including its descendants, the world's 305 breeds of domestic rabbit. Sylvilagus includes 13 wild rabbit species, among them the seven types of cottontail. The European rabbit, which has been introduced on every continent except Antarctica, is familiar throughout the world as a wild prey animal, a domesticated form of livestock and a pet. With its widespread effect on ecologies and cultures, in many areas of the world, the rabbit is a part of daily life – as food, clothing, a companion, and a source of artistic inspiration.
| Rabbit | |
|---|---|
| |
| European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Leporidae |
| Included genera | |
Although once considered rodents, lagomorphs like rabbits have been discovered to have diverged separately and earlier than their rodent cousins and have a number of traits rodents lack, like two extra incisors.
