• Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
• Subclass: Theria Parker et Haswell, 1879= Viviparous mammals, real beasts
• Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872= Placental, higher beasts
• Family: Lagomorpha Brandt, 1855 = Lagomorphs
• Species: Oryctolagus cuniculus Linnaeus, 1758 = Wild [European wild, Central European wild] rabbit

Rabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus Linnaeus, 1758.

The main characters and distribution are the same as the genus. The length of the foot is 81-96 mm, the auricle is 60-72 mm, and the tail is 52-70 mm. In the karyotype 2n = 44, NFa = 80. Reliable fossils are not known.

Lifestyle and meaning for a person.

The main habitats in Ukraine are bushes, gardens, orchards, parks, wastelands, cliffs. sea ​​shore, composed of loose shell limestone, the banks of estuaries. Everywhere it occupies plots of land unsuitable for agricultural production. Settles in colonies. For burrows, he chooses elevated areas. Arranges holes in the cracks of rocks, in quarries, floors with the foundations of buildings, in the forest. Burrows dug in the forest are of two types. Burrows of the first type have 1-3 entrances leading to the central chamber located at a depth of 30-60 cm; chamber width 40-60 cm, height 25-40 cm.

They may belong to juveniles and single animals. The second tal is characterized by a more complex structure: 4-8 entrances open at the bottom of deep and wide funnel-shaped depressions. The inlet is wide (width 19 cm, height approx. 22 cm); at a distance of 85 cm from the soil surface, the passage narrows to 14 cm wide and 12 cm high. Such burrows serve a number of generations. During the day, most often it hides in a hole dug in a secluded place. In summer, herbaceous plants predominate in nutrition, and in winter - dry grass, seeds and roots. various plants, young shoots, bark of shrubs and trees. It reproduces 3-5 times a year, the duration of pregnancy is 30 days. There are 4-7 cubs in the litter, which are born naked and blind. Leads night image life, in warm time it is active from 11 p.m. to sunrise, in winter - from midnight to full dawn. Does not avoid human proximity.

With mass reproduction brings great harm forestry and agriculture. domesticated; a large number of various breeds have been bred, mainly for meat and fur, there are downy and decorative ones. Widely used as a laboratory animal.

Geographic variation and subspecies: 6 subspecies have been described. In the territory former USSR acclimatized nominative - O. s. cuniculus L., 1758.

Now wild European rabbits live in Western and Central Europe, Greece, on a number of islands, in North Africa, America, Australia and New Zealand. Even in conditions of relatively stable numbers, disputes have repeatedly arisen between agronomists and hunters about the dangers and benefits of rabbits. Such discussions - whether to exterminate these animals, or to protect them - took place, for example, in France, Chile and Argentina, where rabbits were also brought at one time.

In the 19th century, rabbits were also brought to the south of Ukraine, to the Nikolaev, Kherson regions, in the vicinity of Odessa. But for 100 years, they never spread far beyond the places where they were released. In the middle of the XX century. In Ukraine, another 56 releases into the wild were carried out (a total of 32 thousand animals), but 80% of them were unsuccessful - animals died from predators, their habitats were destroyed. Now the number of rabbits in Ukraine does not exceed several thousand. In the Crimea, a few rabbits were released in hunting farms, where they took root with human support, but in wild nature Crimea, they are very rare.

Modern urbanization has drastically reduced the number of rabbits in Western Europe while at the beginning of the 20th century their total number there reached 100 million heads, the annual production was several million. The future of rabbits near Odessa is also in doubt, since the areas occupied by them are being actively developed for summer cottages and other objects. The number of rabbits in Ukraine, as well as in France, is strongly affected by epidemics of myxomatosis.

In Europe, rabbits prefer to settle in places with rugged terrain, light and dry sandy soil, in which they usually dig deep, up to 2–2.5 m, holes. In the absence of shelters, they often become victims of predators: foxes, mustelids, feral dogs and cats, rats, crows, hawks, harriers, eagle owls, short-eared owls, white-tailed eagles. But the proximity of a person does not bother rabbits. Although these animals do not run as fast as their relatives - hares, they are very nimble. In dense bushes and grass, they are difficult to catch even for a trained dog. In addition, rabbits have good hearing and are very shy - hearing even the slightest rustle, they immediately run away and hide. Such caution helps them to easily survive in wastelands and parks near settlements. In the Crimea and the Nikolaev region, they even settle on the territory of factories, dig holes under buildings and in heaps of garbage and scrap metal. However, once caught, wild rabbits are not accustomed to people and are prone to escaping from captivity.

Order - Lagomorphs / Family - Hares / Genus - Rabbits

History of study

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.

Appearance

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. Belly white or light gray color. 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.

Spreading

Initially, the rabbit's range was limited to the Iberian Peninsula and isolated areas in southern France and northwestern Africa. However, thanks to economic activity The human rabbit settled on all continents except Asia and Antarctica. It is believed that rabbits came to the Mediterranean region along with the Romans; Normans in the 12th century brought them to England and Ireland. In the Middle Ages, the rabbit spread throughout almost all of Europe.

At present, wild rabbits live in most areas of Western and Central Europe, in Scandinavia, in southern Ukraine (including Crimea), in North Africa; acclimatized in South Africa. On islands mediterranean sea, Quiet and Atlantic Oceans(in particular, in the Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira Island, Hawaiian Islands) rabbits were released specifically so that they would breed and serve as a source of food for the crews of passing ships. The total number of islands where rabbits have been introduced reaches 500; so, they live in a wild state on a number of islands of the Caspian Sea (Zhiloy, Nargen, Bullo, etc.), where they were brought in the 19th century. In the middle of the XVIII century. rabbits were brought to Chile, from where they had already independently moved to the territory of Argentina. They came to Australia in 1859 and a few years later to New Zealand. In the 1950s rabbits from the San Juan Islands (Washington) were released in the eastern United States.

reproduction

Wild rabbits breed quite often - 2-6 times, each time the hare brings 2-12 rabbits. Pregnancy takes 28-33 days, i.e. a year the female brings 20-30 rabbits. At birth, baby rabbits weigh only 40-50 grams, are completely bare of fur and are blind. Their eyes open only on the 10th day of life, and on the 25th day they can already feed on their own, although the female does not stop feeding them with milk for the first four weeks. They reach sexual maturity at 5-6 months. The maximum life expectancy of wild rabbits is 12-15 years, although most of them do not live up to three years.

Lifestyle

The habitat of wild rabbits also varies considerably, they can live in almost all types of terrain (although they avoid dense forests), the wild rabbit is absolutely not afraid of approaching settlements and can live even in mountainous regions (but do not rise above 600 m above sea level).

The daily activity of a wild rabbit depends on the degree of danger to which he is exposed - the safer he feels, the more active he is during the day. The habitat area, which will be enough for a wild rabbit, is limited to 0.5-20 hectares. Unlike other types of hares, they dig fairly large and deep holes (the largest of them can reach 45 m long, 2-3 m deep and have 4-8 exits). And one more difference between a wild rabbit and other species is that they do not lead a solitary lifestyle, but live in families that consist of 8-10 individuals. In the whole structure of the life of wild rabbits there is a complex hierarchical structure.

Nutrition

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).

population

There is no threat to reduce the population of wild rabbits; on the contrary, in many countries they are considered pests and exterminated.

Wild rabbit and man

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 7 kg. Rabbits are widely used as laboratory animals for testing new medications, Food; used for experiments in genetics. Rabbits can also be kept as pets.

In some areas, rabbits in the absence natural predators they do great harm, eating away vegetation, damaging crops and spoiling lands with their burrows. Yes, on some islands Pacific Ocean the rabbits ate the vegetation, which caused soil erosion and destruction of the coastal area where seabirds nested.

However, the greatest damage was caused by the spread of rabbits in Australia, where they were brought in 1859 (Victoria). 24 brought rabbits bred, and by 1900 their number in Australia was already estimated at 20 million heads. Rabbits eat grass, making food competition for sheep and large cattle. They cause even more damage to the native fauna and flora of Australia, eating relict vegetation and displacing native species that cannot compete with rapidly breeding rabbits. Shooting, poisoned baits are used as measures to combat rabbits; in addition, European predators were brought to Australia - fox, ferret, ermine, weasel. Mesh fences are being installed in places in Australia to prevent rabbits from settling in new areas. The most successful way to combat these pests was the "bacteriological war" of the 1950s, when they tried to infect rabbits with an acute viral disease - myxomatosis, endemic to South America. The initial effect was very large, in many areas of Australia up to 90% of all rabbits died out. The survivors have developed immunity. The rabbit problem is still acute in Australia and New Zealand.

Inhabitants of the underground

Why does a rabbit breeder need knowledge about wild rabbits?

In this article I will tell you what kind of animal it is - a wild rabbit. I will make a reservation right away. Despite the fact that I put it in the "it's interesting" section, you may find a lot of valuable and useful for your lesson. Judge for yourself how you can effectively breed and grow your eared pets without delving into their essence. After all, all the instincts, biological rhythms, habits and characteristics of domestic rabbits come from their wild counterparts. I hope this article helps you understand your furry friends more.

Those of you who breed rabbits in pits or aviaries will find many similarities and similarities in the behavior of their own and wild European rabbits. At present, there is a fairly rich experience accumulated not only over the years, but over millennia. And with the advent modern technologies Watching wild rabbits just got a whole lot easier. infrared light(the invisible part of the spectrum) makes it possible to monitor animals around the clock, and microscopic video cameras allow you to penetrate into all the nooks and crannies of rabbit holes, to observe their underground life.

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Who are wild rabbits?

Here is the time to make a clarification. From the above diagram it can be seen that of the entire genus of rabbits, only one species budded - European rabbit or European wild rabbit. In fact, there are more than 20 of these species. Most of them live in North America, slightly less in Africa and South America. And only one species of rabbit is native to Europe - the so-called common rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). And it was he who was domesticated at one time and gave rise to all currently existing domestic breeds of rabbits. Therefore, in the future we will only talk about him, only he can interest us in something. Other types of rabbits are very different from our pets in many characteristics and habits (some are covered with bristles, others do not dig holes and live in swamps and swim like beavers, others live on the slopes of volcanoes right up to the vent, etc.) and do not may be the subject of our study.

The already domesticated rabbit in the form of bred breeds was then transported to all continents. In this regard, I ask you not to confuse, for example, a wild American rabbit - an aborigine with a Californian breed bred from a European immigrant. As they say in Odessa, these are two big differences. And although our European rabbits can be crossed with any breed of wild rabbits, unlike the hare, they are two different biological species rabbits.

Habitat of the European wild rabbit.

Paleontologists say that rabbits migrated to Europe from Africa before the Ice Age. Then, thanks to the warm climate, they multiplied throughout the continent. The subsequent global cooling drove them to the southern part of the Pyrenees, the territory of present-day Spain, where they were safely preserved. By the way, in the ancient Phoenician language, “spany” means a rabbit, and “Hispania” means a coast of rabbits. Currently, wild rabbits also live where people have artificially resettled them. This is primarily Australia and New Zealand (since the end of the 18th century). There, without meeting natural enemies and once in the grassy paradise, the animals began to multiply so quickly that they threatened everything Agriculture continent. Their number now exceeds 6 billion heads.

GROW RICH on the cultivation of rabbits is possible only by providing them with favorable conditions for their existence. In this case, animals multiply exponentially. The increase in their numbers is explosive. When choosing a breed, be guided by nearby farms and breeds adapted to local conditions.

Metal mesh across the entire continent.

Foxes and other predators brought from Europe in a hurry did not start for rabbits, but for local inhabitants, who turned out to be both larger and slower. European predators quickly fell in love with kangaroo meat and the meat of local sheep. But the rabbits were rapidly advancing at a speed of 100 kilometers per season and, like locusts, they destroyed all the greenery, including crops and vegetable gardens. The unfortunate Australians were already desperate and did not know what to do. And then someone came up with a great idea to block off the entire territory of the mainland with a steel mesh. Its length is several thousand kilometers. It worked, and it did a great job of slowing down the migration of animals. But the threat, as they say, continues to hang in the air. In this regard, in some Australian states, it is illegal to breed rabbits at the legislative level. For violation of a considerable fine - 40,000 USD.

In Europe itself, from the Pyrenees, at the beginning of the first millennium, the Romans spread rabbits to territories subject to empires. Rabbits attracted people with their precocity and fertility. Taste qualities meat also played not last role. Despite mass domestication, wild rabbits continue to live and live in parallel. They also posed a threat in some years, but already for European crops. Settled throughout the western and central parts of the continent. They no longer tried to fight them by trapping and hunting. In the middle of the last century, the French declared bacteriological warfare on wild rabbits. Several individuals specially infected with myxomatosis were released into the wild. And if, for example, African red rabbits suffer from this disease in a mild form, then European rabbits mostly (up to 85%) die. The disease was transmitted from one individual to another, but gradually faded. And only in places with a humid climate, where there are mosquitoes, almost all rabbits died out. In addition to mosquitoes, rabbit fleas can also carry myxomatosis.

MYXOMATOSIS- Very dangerous disease often spread in the form of epidemics. Domestic rabbits are not immune to it. Mandatory vaccination required. Fight mosquitoes, do not breed excess dampness in your household.

I must say that these experiments with myxomatosis hit our rabbit farms very painfully. I have already mentioned, and experienced rabbit breeders will not let me bear false witness, that somewhere before the beginning of the 60s we did not have this infection. Maybe I'm not quite out of place, but I remember very well the first appearance of two misfortunes almost simultaneously - this is a massive death of rabbits and an invasion of Colorado beetles. Be that as it may, we survived these difficulties, learned to resist them, although without them it would be much better.

More than once, starting from the end of the 19th century and until the 80s of the last century, attempts were made to resettle wild rabbits in the territories Russian Empire and then Soviet Union. Mostly selected areas with warm climate, Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, as well as Lithuania. They did not take root everywhere, mainly where the climate resembles the Mediterranean. At present, a large colony is settled in the Crimean Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov (Crimea Peninsula), Rostov region, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories as well as in the North Caucasus and the Caspian Islands.

Now a wild European rabbit can be found on all continents except Antarctica (after all, a rabbit is not a penguin, give it grass, and drilling holes in ice is not very comfortable). This is the northwest of Africa (Morocco, Algeria) and South America(Chile), and North America ( East Coast USA, southern Canada) and the already mentioned Australia and Oceania. In addition, rabbits live well and breed on more than 500 hundred islands in the Mediterranean, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They were landed there in order to create colonies that help feed seafarers, including those in distress.

RABBIT MEAT very tasty and nutritious. It is perfectly digested, is considered to be dietary, recommended for many diseases.

External characteristics of a wild rabbit.

After reviewing the description of the wild rabbit, you will find the obvious thing. Under it, our ordinary outbred rabbit is perfect. Judge for yourself: a small animal that looks like a hare. Body length from 30 to 45 centimeters. Weight depending on size and fatness, but on average 2.5 kg. The color is uneven. Above, from dusty gray to dark brown, and even with reddishness, which prevails on the neck and behind the ears. The belly, as well as the underside of the tail, is usually much lighter, sometimes closer to white. On the sides, a light stripe is faintly distinguishable, which passes into a rounded spot in the upper part of the thigh. The tip of the tail and ears is slightly darker, brown or dark gray. During the year, a change in color, like a hare, is not observed. Two molts, as expected, spring and autumn. Single individuals due to mutations (changes in genes) may have a color different from the typical one. So among the brown ones, albinos with a white skin, black, light gray and even piebald (spotted) will also flash. But there are always not many such rabbits, their total number does not exceed 3-5%.

DOMESTIC RABBITS with thoughtless crossing and lack of selection, they gradually degenerate, become smaller, become similar to their wild ancestors. If you notice a decrease in the size of the offspring, a redhead in the color of your rabbits (the gray giant does not count), it's time to think, to conduct at least an introductory crossing.

Dwellings of the wild rabbit.

You probably already know that wild rabbits build their homes and nests, unlike hares, in burrows. For their habitat, they choose mainly open areas, with complex terrain (ravines, beams, a steep coast, an abandoned quarry). They can settle in a landfill. The density of the soil is of great importance. It is easier and more convenient for them to dig holes in sandy soil. Almost never found in rabbit colonies where the ground is rocky or clayey. From the point of view of subsistence, they also strive for places where succulent herbs grow. Interestingly, wild rabbits are not afraid to settle near people, in parks and forest belts. Life forced rabbits to hide away from their offenders - predators (which are innumerable) deeper into the ground and spend most of their lives there. Babies are also born exclusively underground. We can say that rabbits (mainly females) dig their holes throughout their lives. The simplest dwelling is a nesting area with three independent exits to the surface. However, having settled down, the animals continue to improve their home and dig, dig, dig ... The length of the rabbit holes is about 20 meters, but sometimes it is twice as long. They go to a depth of 2 or more meters. As a result, a whole network of labyrinths and nesting chambers connected by passages is formed underground. This contributes to animal safety. In addition, there is always an emergency main entrance, which is a funnel or a hole no larger than 40-50 cm in size, which almost immediately narrows to a diameter of 15 cm. Once having populated the territory, the colony does not leave it for a long time. The reason may be either natural disasters or disappearance of vegetation. Often, researchers discover a piece of land pitted with holes up to 1 hectare.

DOMESTIC RABBITS - shy animals. They do not like strong noise, pungent odors. It's best not to bother them. I recommend equipping the cages with additional screens (even temporary ones) behind which the rabbit could hide. This will have a positive effect on his well-being and development.

Animal nutrition.

Rabbits can come to the surface both during the day and at night. If predators rage in their habitat, they feed mainly at night, if the danger has passed, they can frolic in the sun, and even move a hundred meters away from the hole in search of more juicy greenery. They do not make any stocks for the winter, they feed on dried wood, underground parts of vegetation, and fallen grains. Do not disdain and branch food. In summer they eat leaves, in winter the bark of trees and shrubs. By the way, the rabbits that came to the Australian continent fell in love with the local branch food so much. that they learned to climb trees, or rather low-growing branches.

DOMESTIC RABBIT leads a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. It feeds mainly at night. Feeders should not be allowed to be empty at night. Coprophagia is also characteristic of this time of day. The main foods for a rabbit are grass, hay, twigs, grains and root crops. When compiling a diet, consider the caloric value of feed. (Modern feeds in the form of granules contain all the necessary components.)

Rabbit habits.

Round-the-clock monitoring helped scientists to completely follow the habits and life vicissitudes of wild rabbits. For this, night vision devices were used. It turned out that animals live in families according to strict rules. In each family, there are from 8 to 10 heads of adults, both males and females. But the main (dominant) male is the only one, he chooses a female and the best nest for living. It proves its superiority with the help of strength in martial arts with other males. After that, it consolidates its dominant status, marks everything in a row: territory, defeated males, its females. Marks with a special odorous secret. Can afford to visit other neighboring nests and have fun with neighbors. On grazing, of course, all the best areas with his grass and his beloved passion.

IF YOU NOTICE that the rabbit jumps around the cage and splashes liquid on the sides, this is normal. It means he is healthy and active. Limit the load on the male when mating. There should be no more than 2 coatings per day.

When the leader dies, continuous fights begin, which can last for several days, until a new leader is finally established. If any rabbit feels danger, he notifies all the others by knocking on the ground with his strong hind legs. When a threat arises, males defend their territory from enemies together. In order not to attract predators once again, rabbits lead a silent lifestyle. Only during danger or a fight do they emit a piercing cry resembling a squeak. Those who have watched domestic rabbit fights know what I'm talking about.

DO NOT HOLD two adult males in one cage. You can not constantly keep a male and a female in the same cage. It is not advisable to keep two females in one cage. Young growth must be seated before the onset of their puberty, preferably up to 3 months of age. The rabbit has rather strong hind legs. Beware of shock when picking up a rabbit.

Reproduction.

Nature arranged it so that rabbits could survive in a dense environment of enemies. We have already said that rabbits are saved by deep, long holes, nocturnal lifestyle, camouflage color, silent existence, exceptional agility. But their fertility and precocity are of great importance. For a year, a rabbit can bring offspring from 2 to 5 times. It depends on the climate and latitude. More often (almost all year round) okroly occur in regions with a warm climate and an abundance of food. For example, in the summer in Australia, when all the grass burns out, the rounds do not occur. In southern Europe, breeding lasts from March to October, and in Scandinavia, mainly only in the summer months.

FOR QUICK BREEDING rabbits need an optimal temperature regime, reminiscent of the Mediterranean climate. In cold winters, insulate cages and queen cells, use electric heating. In the heat, create an artificial shade, ensure an uninterrupted supply of water (drinking bowls), arrange ventilation.

The gestation period (about 30 days) and the number of baby rabbits born (from 2 to 12) are the same as in domestic rabbits. They start mating within a few hours after giving birth. Before birth, the female carefully prepares the nest (up to 30 cm in diameter), lines it with plucked fluff. Cubs are born naked and blind, but grow quickly. Around the 10th day, the eyes begin to open.

By the age of one month, they can graze on their own, crawling upstairs. Around the same time, the female abandons them and starts building a new nest. On the one hand, such haste plays a positive role, on the other hand, young individuals often die. Mortality of young animals can reach from 40 - 50%. Sometimes only 10% of individuals live up to a year. The reason here is not only in predators, but also in viral misfortunes such as coccidiosis. Great losses and from flooding holes in rainy seasons. It does not always save that the entrances to the burrows are located on hills in dry places.

COCCIDIASIS- a dangerous disease of rabbits, causing their death. It is carried by flies, multiplies in droppings and sewage. Fight flies, regularly clean cages near them.

Here are more examples of how nature uses its resources economically. During dry periods, a pregnant rabbit may not give birth at all. She "feels" that the offspring will not survive anyway and stops nourishing the embryos in the womb. There they die and, as experts say, the pregnancy resolves. At the same time, all the nutrients are absorbed by the mother and she herself avoids starvation. Pregnancy can thus disappear even after 20 days of gestation. In the heat, mostly younger and stronger rabbits give birth. Unlike domestic rabbits, their wild counterparts almost never enter into mating games in the first year of life. Save strength, although sexual maturity occurs by 5-6 months.

NOT ALWAYS failed births may be the result of listeriosis - a disease of the female. If possible, do not plan births during a very hot period. Consistently apply succulent feed and an uninterrupted supply of water.

What and who prevents a wild rabbit from living to old age?

The average life expectancy of rabbits in the wild does not exceed 3 years, although some rare specimens live up to 8 or even 10 years. The reason for this is not always favorable natural conditions, diseases, civil strife, an abundance of natural enemies. Predators who are not averse to profiting from rabbit meat are known to everyone. These are those running on the ground (foxes, martens, ferrets, weasels, rats, stray dogs and cats) and flying (hawks, owls, owls and even crows with magpies).

ESPECIALLY DEFECTIVE little rabbits. They can be dragged or bitten by rats. Ferrets and weasels are dangerous even for adults. Install fine-mesh nets, make cages and queen cells from hardwood. Fight rats and other predators.

In addition, hunting for a wild rabbit is very popular in Western Europe, including with the use of ferrets:

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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 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:

• 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.

Their body length is only 35-45 cm, tail 4-7 cm, ears 6-7 cm, and the average weight is 1.3-2.2 kilograms. The color of the upper body is formed by mixing fur hair dyed light brown and black. The hair on the back is gray-brown in a soft color. The tail is two-colored: black-brown above, white below. The belly of wild rabbits and the underside of the paws are reddish-white. The hind legs are quite long. The feet are well furred, the nails are straight and long.

Wild rabbits are widespread in Central and Western Europe and North Africa. They also acclimatized in South and North America, Australia, New Zealand, on many islands and even in subantarctic regions.

For a settlement, European rabbits prefer places overgrown with shrubs with rugged terrain. These are beams, ravines, abandoned quarries, steep banks of estuaries and seas. They are less common in gardens, forest belts, parks. Important for wild rabbits is the nature of the soil suitable for digging. Animals prefer to settle on light sandy soils and avoid clay, dense or rocky areas.

Wild rabbits are sedentary. They occupy territories with an area of ​​0.5-20 hectares, which are marked with an odorous secretion from the skin glands. Mutual assistance exists between members of the colonies; knocking on the ground with their hind legs, they notify neighbors of danger. Unlike hares, wild rabbits dig complex deep burrows in which they spend most of their lives. Burrows are of two types: simple - at a depth of 30-60 cm, with 1-3 exits and a nesting chamber; and complex - at a depth of up to 2.5-3 m, with 4-8 exits and a length of up to 45 m.

Animals usually do not go far from burrows and feed on adjacent areas, hiding in burrows at the slightest danger. Wild rabbits leave inhabited burrows only when the vegetation near the burrow is severely degraded or when it is destroyed. Rabbits run not too fast (20-25 km / h), but very nimble. therefore, it is quite difficult to catch an adult rabbit.

Wild rabbits feed on grass and succulent soft parts of other plants, and when there is a lack of food, they eat the bark of trees and branches of shrubs. In winter and summer, animals eat differently. In summer, they feed on the green parts of herbaceous plants, eat cabbage, various root crops and grain crops. In winter, in addition to dry grass, underground parts of plants are often pulled out, and the bark of shrubs and trees is gnawed. In a situation of complete food shortage, they even eat their own feces.

Rabbits breed very quickly. At the age of less than a year, young individuals become sexually mature. Rabbits bring 3-4 litters per year, 3-7 rabbits in each. Rabbits are somewhat more prolific in southern Western European countries (3-5 litters of 5-6 rabbits), and in Australia and New Zealand they breed even faster. Before giving birth, rabbits make a nest inside the holes. For bedding, combed out fur on their own belly is used. Unlike rabbits, rabbits are born blind, naked and completely helpless, and weigh only 40-50 grams. After 10 days, their eyes open. on the 25th day, the babies begin to lead an independent life, although the mother continues to feed them with milk until almost a month old.

Despite the speed of reproduction, in the wild there is a very high mortality of young animals. During the first three weeks of life, almost 40% of young animals die, and in the first year about 90%. Especially high mortality from coccidiosis and, when flooding holes in rainy time. The maximum life expectancy of wild rabbits is 12-15 years.

In Europe, rabbits are considered an object of hunting (the meat of these animals is used for food) and agricultural pests.