What do rabbits eat in nature. Eared brethren in nature: wild rabbits. In Russia and CIS countries

Wild rabbits settle mainly in areas with shrub vegetation and rugged terrain - along beams, ravines, steep shores of seas and estuaries, abandoned quarries. Less common in forest belts, gardens, parks and very rarely in arable fields, where modern methods tillage destroys its burrows.

They do not avoid the neighborhood of a person, settling on the outskirts settlements, in landfills and wastelands. The mountains do not rise above 600 m above sea level. Important for rabbits is the nature of the soil suitable for digging; they prefer to settle on light sandy or sandy loamy soils and avoid dense clay or rocky areas.

The daily activity of a rabbit is strongly affected by the level of anxiety. Where rabbits are not disturbed, they are active mostly during the day; when pursued and in anthropogenic biotopes, they switch to night image life. At night they are active from 11 p.m. to sunrise, in winter - from midnight to dawn.

Wild rabbits are sedentary, occupying areas of 0.5-20 hectares. The territory is marked with the odorous secretion of the skin glands (inguinal, anal, chin). Unlike hares, rabbits dig deep complex burrows in which they spend a significant part of their lives. Some burrows have been used by rabbits for many generations, turning into real labyrinths, covering an area of ​​up to 1 ha. For digging, rabbits choose elevated areas. Sometimes he makes holes in the cracks of rocks, in old quarries, under the foundations of buildings. Burrows are of two types:

• simple, with 1-3 exits and a nesting chamber at a depth of 30-60 cm; they are probably occupied by young and single individuals;
• complex, with 4-8 exits, up to 45 m long and up to 2-3 m deep.

The entrance to the burrow is wide, up to 22 cm in diameter; at a distance of 85 cm from the entrance, the passage narrows to 15 cm in diameter. Living quarters have a height of 30-60 cm. The entrances to the main tunnels are identified by heaps of earth, small passages at the exit do not have earthen heaps. Rabbits usually do not go far from burrows and feed on adjacent areas, hiding in the burrow at the slightest danger. Rabbits leave inhabited burrows only when they are destroyed or the vegetation around the burrow is severely degraded. Rabbits do not run very fast, not reaching speeds above 20-25 km / h, but very nimble, so it is difficult to catch an adult rabbit.

Rabbits live in family groups of 8-10 adults. Groups have a rather complex hierarchical structure. The dominant male occupies the main burrow; the dominant female and her offspring live with him. Subordinate females live and raise offspring in separate burrows. The dominant male has the advantage during the breeding season. Most rabbits are polygamous, but some males are monogamous and stay on the territory of one particular female. Males jointly defend the colony from strangers. Mutual assistance exists between the members of the colony; they alert each other of danger by tapping the ground with their hind legs.

Photo from http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/bioinformatics/mammals/images/cunilive.htm

English name Domestic Rabbit

Initially, rabbits lived in the south of France, on the Iberian Peninsula, and possibly in northwestern Africa. Fossil finds of the first rabbits date back to the Pleistocene. The spread of rabbits is associated with economic activity man, as a result of which they settled in Europe and other parts of the world.

Rabbits living in natural conditions, they do not differ large sizes- body length 350-450 mm, ears 60-70 mm, tail 40-70 mm, and weight 1350-2250 g. The fur on the back is of a dull gray-brown color. The ears are long, they are the same color as the body, the tip is black. The crown is reddish, the neck is dark. The tail is two-tone: brown-black above, white below. The belly of rabbits, as well as the underside of the paws, are reddish-white. The hind legs are relatively long. The feet are well furred, the nails are long and straight.

According to Grzimek (1975), the rabbit prefers to settle in sandy areas, among the hills, overgrown with shrubs, while never climbing into mountains 600 m above sea level. Unlike its hare relatives, the rabbit digs complex burrows that can be up to 3 m deep and up to 45 m long. The diameter of the tunnels is 15 cm, the living quarters are 30-60 cm high. The main passages at the exit to the surface are identified by heaps of earth, the small passages at the exit do not have earthen heaps. A colony of rabbits is known, numbering 407 individuals, which built a network of holes and passages with 2,080 exits. The Oryctolagus rabbit is nocturnal, leaving the burrow in the evening and returning from feeding in the early morning. Sometimes it can be found at the entrance to the hole in the early morning when it is basking in the sun.

The rabbit feeds on grass and soft parts of plants, and in case of lack of food - bark and twigs of shrubs and trees.

According to Grzimek (1975), the area of ​​a wild rabbit is no more than 20 ha. For scientific purposes, a group of 63 rabbits was captured and then released into the wild. A year later, 15 individuals from the group lived in an area located 100 meters from the place where they were caught. Population densities are often 25-37 birds/ha, and on Skokholm Island (off the southwest coast of Wales) have been as high as 100 rabbits/ha.

Rabbits are polygamous, live big families, which settles in one hole with many otnorks, occupying a plot of 1 ha. Males dig holes. The main female in the harem of the male who owns the territory lives in his hole and, before the birth of offspring, digs a chamber in the side passage. The rest of the females living in the territory of the male raise their offspring in separate burrows. The colony maintains a strict hierarchy and territoriality. High-ranking males have advantages during the breeding season. All males of the colony participate in the defense of their territory from strangers. Mutual assistance exists between members of the colonies, and they notify each other of danger by knocking on the ground with their hind legs.

From January to June in England and from February to July in Central Europe, 90 percent of adult females breed and become pregnant, out of the gestation season are very rare. Populations introduced in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia) breed all year round, and there are up to 40 rabbits per rabbit. Pregnancy lasts 28-33 days, in a brood 1-9 rabbits, on average 5-6. Already a few hours after the birth, the rabbits are ready for mating, which immediately happens. Thus, a female can produce 5-7 litters or more per season (on average 3-4 litters), giving birth annually to more than 30 young (on average 20). In northern populations with less favorable climatic conditions, the growth of the colony occurs at a slower pace, and the female accounts for no more than 10-12 rabbits per year. There is evidence that at least 60 percent of pregnancies are not carried to birth, and the embryos are resorbed in the mother's body. Newborns are born in specially equipped minks, lined with leaves and grass, which suits the rabbit. Cubs are born naked, blind and deaf, at birth they weigh 40-50 g (data from Grzimek 1975). They open their eyes after 10 days and leave the nest 3 weeks after birth, mother feeds them with milk until 4 weeks of age. Animals mature already at the age of 5-6 months. In wild populations, young rabbits rarely breed in the first year of life, more often this occurs in the next breeding season. weeks. In conditions of detention, young rabbits are able to produce offspring as early as three months of age. The reproductive period in rabbits lasts up to 6 years, their life expectancy is up to 9 years (Grzimek 1975).

Old world rabbits for a long time were considered and still are considered good game and the meat of these animals is used for food. It is assumed that in the Mediterranean region, rabbits came with the Romans, they were brought to England and Ireland by the Normans in the XII century. They currently live in most areas. Western Europe with a mild climate, including Scandinavia, in the east - to Poland and southern Ukraine (a large colony is known in the vicinity of Odessa). On islands mediterranean sea isolated island populations (in the Azores, canary islands and Madeira). Their distribution on the islands was associated with human economic activity: rabbits were released to uninhabited islands so that they would breed and serve as a source of food for the crews of ships that stopped on the islands to rest, sailing across the Atlantic. According to Flux and Fullagar (1983), there are 550 islands and island groups where rabbits have been introduced. In the middle of the 18th century, rabbits were introduced to Chile, where they bred and made their way to Argentina on their own (Howard and Amaya 1975). Rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859 and New Zealand a few years later (Grzimek 1975). In the 1950s rabbits from the San Juan Islands (Washington) have been released in the eastern United States, but so far no visible results have been observed.

Until now, in Europe, rabbits are considered agricultural pests and an object of hunting. The reason for this is the extraordinary fertility of rabbits and the absence natural predators that would hold back population growth. On some Pacific islands, rabbits have eaten all the vegetation, causing soil erosion and the destruction of the coastal zone, which is a nesting place for many seabirds.

However, the spread of rabbits in Australia and New Zealand caused the most acute problem. There, rabbits eat grass, making food competition to sheep, and their distribution poses a threat to unique marsupials of australia who can not stand the competition with rabbits. The government encourages the shooting of rabbits, exports rabbit skins and frozen meat abroad. However, rabbit meat is not in high demand on the international market and is more for local consumption, and the skins of wild rabbits are not of such high quality as to be widely used in industry. In the 1950s attempts were made to spread maximatosis (myxomatosis), which caused a significant reduction in the population, but immunity to this disease began to be developed in local rabbits.

Rabbit breeding was first organized in French monasteries in 600-1000 AD. AD (Flux and Fullagar 1983). At present, rabbit breeding is an important industry in the world. Agriculture. According to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, 66 breeds and species of rabbits are known. Most domestic rabbits bear little resemblance to their wild counterparts. They are able to collect a large mass bodies (except dwarf species), reaching 7.25 kg. The type of fur and color of domestic rabbits also varies.

Rabbits are laboratory animals, drugs are tested on them, new foodstuffs are tested, they are used for experiments in genetics.

Wild European rabbits are the ancestors of the familiar domestic rabbits. Initially, this species of the hare family lived only in the central and southern parts of Europe, but then it was successfully settled far from its original places.

Today, the European rabbit lives in Australia and on nearby islands, and also inhabits some areas. North Africa. For the first time this type of animal was domesticated in ancient times, when the Roman Empire existed.

Since then, rabbits are considered pets, they are kept both for slaughter and for decorative purposes.

The European wild rabbit is not large, it strongly resembles a hare: its body grows from 30 to 45 centimeters in length, and the weight of this animal does not exceed 2.5 kilograms. The ears of a European rabbit are slightly shorter than those of a hare, their length is no more than 7.2 centimeters, and the hind legs are not so big. The fur cover of the representatives of the species is colored in a grayish-brown hue, but depending on the habitat, it can change to a red color. The ventral region of the body is always light, and the tips of the tail and ears have dark markings. Like wild hares, European rabbits are subject to seasonal molting.

Any terrain is suitable for wild rabbits to live, but these animals still try to avoid dense forest areas. Often the European rabbit can be found in the highlands, although this animal does not climb high into the mountains. The European wild rabbit also likes spaces near settlements: close proximity to people does not bother him. Apparently, therefore, rabbits could easily become pets.

Like all representatives of rabbits, European look can be active at any time of the day, but the habitat plays a big role here: if there are many dangers and enemies around, then the rabbit leaves the hole at night. These mammals live in burrows, which they either build themselves or are occupied by ownerless ones.

Rabbits are social animals. They live in groups of 8-10 individuals. Each such community has its own hierarchy and rules of conduct. Going in search of food, European rabbits try not to stray far from their hole, so that there is always the opportunity to hide from the enemy chasing them (for example, or). Food for these animals is plant food: roots and leaves, tree bark, as well as the remains of grass under a layer of snow (in winter).

The mating season for these mammals occurs several times a year. European rabbits are highly prolific: in a year they can reproduce from two to six offspring, each of which can have from 2 to 12 babies. Count - in a year it turns out not so little, isn't it? Pregnancy in a female wild European rabbit lasts no more than a month, and the new generation is capable of reproducing its own offspring already at the age of six months. The life expectancy of this species of animals is 12 - 15 years, but the laws of nature are harsh, and most often these cute little animals die at the age of three.

Wild rabbit, or European rabbit (lat. Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a species of rabbit native to southern Europe. The only species of rabbit that was domesticated and gave all the modern variety of breeds. Over the course of history, rabbits have been accidentally or deliberately introduced into many isolated ecosystems, including Australia, where they have upset the balance, often resulting in ecological disaster. The European rabbit was domesticated in Roman times, and rabbits are still raised today for both meat and fur and as pets.

Medium-sized animal: body length 31-45 cm, body weight 1.3-2.5 kg. The length of the ears is less than the length of the head, 6-7.2 cm. The feet are pubescent, the claws are long and straight. The coloration of the upper body is usually brownish-gray, sometimes with a reddish tint. The tip of the tail is black or grey. On the back, a dark brown striation is visible, formed by the ends of the guard hairs. At the ends of the ears, black rims are distinguishable; buffy patches on the neck behind the ears. A dull light stripe runs along the sides of the body, ending in a wide spot in the thigh area. The belly is white or light gray. The tail is brown-black above, white below. Quite often (3-5%) there are individuals of aberrant color - black, light gray, white, piebald. There is practically no seasonal color change. There are 44 chromosomes in the karyotype.

Rabbits shed 2 times a year. Spring molt begins in March. Females molt quickly, in about 1.5 months; in males, summer fur appears more slowly and traces of molting can be observed until summer. Autumn molt occurs in September-November.

European rabbits prefer places with rugged terrain and overgrown with shrubs. Wild rabbits settle mainly in areas with shrub vegetation and rugged terrain - along beams, ravines, steep shores of seas and estuaries, abandoned quarries. They are less common in forest belts, gardens, parks, and very rarely in arable fields, where modern methods of tillage destroy its holes. They do not avoid the neighborhood of a person, settling on the outskirts of settlements, in landfills and wastelands. The mountains do not rise above 600 m above sea level. Important for rabbits is the nature of the soil suitable for digging; they prefer to settle on light sandy or sandy loamy soils and avoid dense clay or rocky areas.

The daily activity of a rabbit is strongly affected by the level of anxiety. Where rabbits are not disturbed, they are active mostly during the day; when pursued and in anthropogenic biotopes, they switch to a nocturnal lifestyle. At night they are active from 11 p.m. to sunrise, in winter - from midnight to dawn.

Wild rabbits are sedentary, occupying areas of 0.5-20 hectares. The territory is marked with the odorous secretion of the skin glands (inguinal, anal, chin). Unlike hares, rabbits dig deep complex burrows in which they spend a significant part of their lives. Some burrows have been used by rabbits for many generations, turning into real labyrinths, covering an area of ​​up to 1 ha. For digging, rabbits choose elevated areas. Sometimes he makes holes in the cracks of rocks, in old quarries, under the foundations of buildings. Burrows are of two types:

Rabbits live in family groups of 8-10 adults. Groups have a rather complex hierarchical structure. The dominant male occupies the main burrow; the dominant female and her offspring live with him. Subordinate females live and raise offspring in separate burrows. The dominant male has the advantage during the breeding season. Most rabbits are polygamous, but some males are monogamous and stay on the territory of one particular female. Males jointly defend the colony from strangers. Mutual assistance exists between the members of the colony; they alert each other of danger by tapping the ground with their hind legs.

When feeding, rabbits do not move more than 100 m from their burrows. In this regard, their diet is not selective, and the composition of feed is determined by their availability. Food is different in winter and summer. In summer they eat the green parts herbaceous plants; in the fields and gardens they feed on lettuce, cabbage, various root crops and grain crops. In winter, in addition to dry grass, underground parts of plants are often dug up. A significant role in winter nutrition is played by the shoots and bark of trees and shrubs. In a situation of food shortage, they eat their own feces (coprophagia).

Eight newborn rabbits

Rabbits are very prolific. The breeding season covers most of the year. During the year, rabbits can bring offspring in some cases up to 2-4 times. So, in Southern Europe, from March to October, a female rabbit brings 3-5 litters out of 5-6 rabbits. In the northern parts of the range, breeding continues through June-July. Out of season pregnant females are rare. Populations introduced in the Southern Hemisphere breed all year round under favorable conditions. In Australia, there is a break in breeding in the middle of summer when the grass burns out.

Pregnancy lasts 28-33 days. The number of rabbits in a litter is 2-12, in the wild usually 4-7, on industrial farms 8-10. Postpartum estrus is characteristic, when females are ready for mating again a few hours after birth. The average population growth per season is 20-30 rabbits per female cat. In northern populations with less favorable climatic conditions, there are no more than 20 rabbits per female; in the Southern Hemisphere - up to 40 rabbits. The number of cubs in the litter also depends on the age of the female: in females younger than 10 months, the average number of rabbits is 4.2; in adults - 5.1; from the age of 3 years, fertility decreases markedly. Up to 60% of pregnancies are not carried to delivery, and the embryos spontaneously resolve.

Before giving birth, the rabbit arranges a nest inside the hole, combing out the underfur for him from the fur on her stomach. Rabbits, unlike hares, are born naked, blind and completely helpless; at birth, they weigh 40-50 g. Their eyes open after 10 days; on the 25th day, they already begin to lead an independent lifestyle, although the female continues to feed them with milk up to 4 weeks of life. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 5-6 months, so early litters can already breed at the end of summer. However, in wild populations, young rabbits rarely breed in their first year of life. In captivity, young female rabbits can give birth as early as 3 months of age. Despite high speed reproduction, due to the mortality of young animals in the wild, the population profit is only 10-11.5 rabbits per female. In the first 3 weeks of life, about 40% of young animals die; in the first year - up to 90%. Mortality from coccidiosis is especially high and in rainy time when the water fills the holes. Only a few rabbits live past the age of 3 years. The maximum life expectancy is 12-15 years.

Wild rabbit populations are susceptible to significant changes, in some cases can reach abnormally high level. With mass reproduction, they harm forestry and agriculture.

They are hunted for fur and meat. The rabbit has been domesticated for over 1000 years. The issues of breeding rabbits for industrial purposes are handled by the livestock industry - rabbit breeding. It is believed that rabbit breeding was first organized in French monasteries in 600-1000. n. e. At present, rabbit breeding is an important branch of the world economy; About 66 breeds have been bred, mainly for meat and fur. There are downy and decorative breeds, for example, the Angora rabbit, in which down makes up about 90% of all wool. Domesticated rabbits are different from wild color, fur length and weight - they are able to gain up to 10 kg. Rabbits are widely used as laboratory animals for testing new drugs, food products; used for experiments in genetics. Rabbits can also be kept as pets.

Some people, looking at cute and fluffy domesticated rabbits, tend to think that their relatives, who live in cruel wild nature, lead the same carefree life and only nibble on the juicy grass growing in the meadows. But this is an erroneous opinion, since each new day for them is a constant struggle for survival. A wild rabbit is always in search of at least some kind of food, regardless of the season, and besides, it still has to hide from all kinds of predators.

Description

That is why these small animals have such a body structure, thanks to which it will be easier for them to survive in harsh conditions. natural environment. They are endowed with unique abilities to extract their food from under the snow, have excellent hearing, allowing them to hear the approach of a predator at a distance of thirty meters, even if it is not on the ground, but hovering in the air.

Outwardly, a wild rabbit looks like a hare. Its description can begin with the fact that it is small in size. The body length ranges from 32 to 46 centimeters, while it weighs no more than two kilograms. His hind legs are smaller than others and hares, and his ears are longer.

A wild rabbit is endowed with a heterogeneous color. His photos show that this animal has a brownish-gray coat on top, sometimes with a reddish tint. The abdomen and tip of the tail are slightly lighter, and a whitish stripe is visible on the sides, turning into a small spot in the upper part of the thigh.

A wild rabbit, unlike a hare, does not change its color during the year, but only two molts occur, as expected, in spring and autumn.

Where do they live?

Initially, these small animals lived only on the Iberian Peninsula, but thanks to agricultural activities, they were settled on almost all continents except Antarctica and Asia.

Currently, the wild rabbit lives in Russia, Ukraine, as well as in many countries of Europe and Africa. In addition, this small animal can be found on the islands of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.

These animals live only where there are bushes and low trees, but they can also live in steppes, forest belts and plantings. Their living conditions differ significantly from the way of life of hares, since a wild rabbit needs a smaller territory for its existence. The family of these small animals can easily get along on the land, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich varies from three to twenty hectares. For a more comfortable existence, they dig holes for themselves, reaching up to thirty meters in length.

home of small animals

Such tunnels can be seen on any open area with a complex relief, it is there that a wild rabbit digs for itself. Where this small animal lives, only sandy soil prevails there, so that it is easier and more convenient for it to dig holes for itself.

The harsh conditions of survival forced these animals to hide as deep underground as possible, where you can hide away from predators. There they spend most of their lives. Such holes are dug mainly by females, and this takes a lot of time. They look like a nesting place with three exits to the surface.

Lifestyle

Thus, a wild rabbit in nature can more often be found in gullies, ravines, on steep sea ​​shores or abandoned quarries. These animals are not at all afraid of being close to humans, so they can even settle on the outskirts of settlements and in various landfills.

When these small animals choose a certain territory for their life, they always mark it with an odorous secret produced by the skin glands. Unlike hares, wild rabbits do not lead an isolated lifestyle, but settle in whole groups (7-11 individuals each). Their families have a rather complex hierarchical structure.

What do they eat?

A wild rabbit, when feeding, does not move further from the hole than a hundred meters. Therefore, his diet is not particularly diverse. The only difference is winter and summer meals. In the warm period, small animals eat leaves and grass. If there are fields and gardens near their dwelling, then these animals eat salads, cabbage, all kinds of root crops and grain crops on them.

With the approach of cold, rabbits move to dry grass and parts of plants dug out of the ground. In addition, in winter they can still eat shoots and bark of trees or shrubs.

How is reproduction

These small animals are considered to be very prolific. They breed almost all year round. Rabbits can carry offspring for about three times for the season. Pregnancy in these animals lasts about one month. The number of rabbits in a litter can vary from 4 to 12 and depends on the living conditions and the age of their mother. Thus, in a year she can bring from 20 to 50 cubs. Within a few hours after giving birth, the female is again ready for mating.

Rabbits of this species grow at a rapid pace due to the fact that the very first four weeks after their birth they feed only on mother's milk. Five months later, they already reach puberty and leave the family, forming their own.

What is the value of these animals for humans?

It turns out that only this type of European wild rabbit was tamed by people. Therefore, it is considered the ancestor of all domestic breeds of these small animals without exception.

They are currently being bred on the territory of various natural reserves and nurseries. European rabbits are in demand by many breeders, as they can be used to improve breeds of domesticated species.

In addition, they are an object of fishing due to their beautiful fur and delicious meat. That is why rabbit breeding is considered one of the most important branches of world agriculture.

Since the domestication of wild rabbits, more than seventy different breeds these animals. Among them are downy, decorative, as well as those used to test new medicines and food in scientific laboratories.

But in addition to being useful, these wild animals in some countries, where there are no predatory animals, can cause great harm to people, eating all crops, damaging fields, crops, and also spoiling the land with their numerous holes. For example, in the Pacific Islands, they completely destroyed the vegetation, which led to the destruction coastline used for nesting seabirds.

Summing up, one can come to the conclusion that these amazing animals are perfectly adapted to living in wild nature so they can support their population.