Why does a rabbit breeder need knowledge about wild rabbits? Where wild rabbits live in nature

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 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 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.

European or wild rabbit (from the Latin Oryctolagus cuniculus) [animal kingdom > chordate phylum > mammalian class > placental infraclass > hare-like order > hare family] - a mammal, a representative of the genus of rabbits, which is of South European origin. It is this type of rabbit that is the only one that has been massively domesticated and is the forerunner of the entire modern variety of rabbit breeds. But there is also a bad experience of domesticating a wild rabbit, for example, when they tried to domesticate it in the original ecosystem of Australia, this led to an ecological disaster. The wild rabbit has been domesticated since Roman times, and is still a commercial animal that is raised for meat and fur.

Outwardly, a wild rabbit is a small animal that looks like a hare, only smaller in size. The body length of representatives of this species of rabbits ranges from 31 to 45 cm. Body weight can reach 1.3-2.5 kg. The length of the ears is 6-7.2 cm. The hind legs are rather small compared to other types of hares.

The color of the body of a wild rabbit is brownish-gray, in some parts a little reddish. The tips of the ears and tail always have a darkish color, and the belly, on the contrary, is white or light gray. Molting in wild rabbits is quite fast but not very noticeable, spring molting lasts from mid-March to the end of May, and autumn - from September to November.

The habitat of wild rabbits is quite wide, the largest population is concentrated in the countries of Central, Southern Europe and North Africa. There have been attempts to acclimatize the wild rabbit in the Americas, as well as Australia, which cannot be said to have been successful, but even today representatives of this species of rabbit can be found in these parts of the world.

The habitat of wild rabbits also varies considerably, they can live in almost all types of terrain (although they avoid dense forests),
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.

Looking for food wild rabbits do not depart from their holes at a distance of more than 100 m, so their diet cannot be called too diverse. In summer, leaves and roots of herbaceous plants predominate in it, and in winter - the bark and branches of trees, the remains of plants that they dig out from under the snow.

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.

Rabbit is a mammal belonging to the hare family. Now, rabbits bred not only for food and its fur, but also as a pet. How do rabbits live in nature and what do they eat there? Today we will talk about it.

Rabbits in the wild

Wild European rabbit in length 31-45 cm, rabbit ears 6-7.5 cm, despite the fact that the skull is much smaller. Weight such a rabbit reaches 2.5 kg. Color its gray-brown, and on the back you can see a reddish color. Boca rodents of light color, stomach white, their tails are white, their ears are black and tail black. IN rare cases, wild European rabbit can be found pure white, light gray or even mottled. places, where does this rabbit live: Sea of ​​Azov, North Caucasus, Russia and in general, on all continents except Asia and Antarctica. chooses rabbit a place of residence with good soil so that you can easily dig a mink - quarries, ravines, coastal cliffs.

Types of wild rabbits

How many types of rabbits are there wild nature? You will be surprised, but their number is not so great.

1. Wild rabbit (European)

2. Water rabbit

3. Red rabbit

4. Idaho rabbit (pygmy)

5. Steppe rabbit

6. Nuttala rabbit

7. California rabbit

8. Tailless rabbit (teporingo or volcanic)

9. Rabbit Flanders

10. Rabbit Risen

11. Rabbit Gray giant

Most of the rest rabbit species, account for breeding by breeders, but we will talk about these types of rabbits (domestic) with you in other articles.

INTERESTING FACTS AND NUTRITION OF THE WILD RABBIT

What do wild rabbits eat?

Wild rabbits eat stems and leaves of plants, in vegetable gardens or in fields, they get themselves cabbage, carrots, lettuce and various other crops. In the cold season food source is the bark of trees, branches of shrubs and trees. Interestingly, in the absence of any source of food, they eat their own excrement in order not to die of hunger. Of course, in can be fed at home the same (except excrement). Add in the diet you need hay, coniferous branches, dandelions, chicory, chamomile, yarrow, mouse peas, nettles, alfalfa, wheatgrass, chickweed. Can't feed parsley and dill, which contain essential oils. rabbits give both mineral stone and chalk. From fruits and vegetables, you can give cucumbers, zucchini, all kinds of cabbage, apples, carrots, watermelon and melon peels. With pleasure, rabbit gnaws white crackers. For grinding teeth, give willow branches, pears, apples, acacias, lindens, aspens. And with indigestion, a few branches of oak or alder.

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VIDEO: WILD RABBIT

IN THIS VIDEO YOU WILL SEE HOW WILD RABBITS LOOK IN NATURE

Many, seeing beautiful fluffy domestic rabbits, think that their wild relatives lead an equally carefree lifestyle, nibbling green grass in the meadows, but this is far from the case. For wild rabbits, every day is a struggle to survive in the harsh environment of the wild.

The lifestyle of wild rabbits is associated with the need constant search food, regardless of the season, as well as the need to escape from predators that hunt rabbits.

The body structure of wild rabbits is due precisely to the need to survive in the wild, because rabbits have unique fixtures for obtaining food from under the snow, a unique hearing that allows them to hear an approaching predator at a distance of 30 meters, regardless of whether danger arises from the air or creeps on the ground.

Surprisingly, only European wild rabbits have been domesticated and are the wild ancestors of all modern domestic rabbit breeds.

Absolutely everything is a natural enemy of rabbits. predatory mammals and birds. The biological age of wild rabbits is 15 years, but in reality, only 30% of rabbits live to the age of three in nature. The mortality of rabbits does not always depend on the activity of predators; diseases often become the cause of the death of an entire family of rabbits.

Rabbits in the wild are real babies compared to their domesticated relatives. Body length varies from 35 to 42 cm, weight ranges from 1.3 to 2 kg, in very rare cases, wild rabbits reach a weight of 2.5 kg. The body of the rabbit is squat, the paws are small, the ears reach only 7 cm, the eyes are black. The color of the skin is gray, with darker areas on the tips of the ears and tail. The wild rabbit molts twice a year, the spring molt takes place from March to May, and the autumn molt falls on September-November.

Wild rabbits prefer areas where there are bushy plants, but they can live in the steppes and even in dense forests and plantations, but rabbits avoid forest thickets. The lifestyle of wild rabbits is fundamentally different from wild hares. Rabbits do not need a vast territory to live. The family can live in a relatively small area, ranging from 3 to 20 hectares. In order to provide themselves with a comfortable existence, rabbits dig holes, which can sometimes reach 30 meters in length.

Unlike hares, wild rabbits do not lead an isolated lifestyle. Rabbits always live in families of 8-10 individuals and have a clear hierarchical structure. Wild rabbits are relatively unpretentious in terms of food, so they rarely go further than 100 meters from their hole. The main diet of rabbits is herbaceous plants, roots, tubers, grains, bark. Such unpretentiousness allows the rabbit to quickly settle, capturing more and more new territories.

Initially, rabbits lived throughout southern Europe, but subsequently people settled them in almost all ecosystems, which led to a lot of troubles, for example, in Australia, where wild European rabbits had no natural enemies. Without natural enemies in Australia, rabbits began to actively breed, gradually displacing native rodent species.

The European wild rabbit is remarkably prolific. A female can bring up to six litters per year and, as a rule, from 2 to 12 rabbits in one litter. During the year, the female can produce from 20 to 60 rabbits, which quickly become independent after leaving the hole. Baby rabbits grow extremely fast, as they only feed on milk for the first 4 weeks.

After about 4-5 months, the rabbits reach sexual maturity, leave the family, forming their own families. Breeding of wild rabbits in Europe is currently carried out in nature reserves and nurseries. Some breeders want to buy wild rabbits to improve domesticated breeds.

Wild rabbits are extremely prolific, lead a secretive lifestyle and try to hide from predators. Despite high level mortality of rabbits of all ages, these amazing animals are perfectly adapted to life in the wild and support their population.

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, they are tested on medications, new foods, they are used for experiments in genetics.