Rabbit: Difference between revisions
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{{Taxobox |
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| name = Rabbit |
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| image = Sylvilagus_floridanus.jpg |
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| image_width = 250px |
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| image_caption = [[Eastern Cottontail]] (''Sylvilagus floridanus'') |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[Mammal]]ia |
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| ordo = [[Lagomorpha]] |
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| familia = [[Leporidae]]<br><small>in part</small> |
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| subdivision_ranks = Genera |
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| subdivision = |
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''[[Pentalagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[Bunolagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[Nesolagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[Romerolagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[Brachylagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[Sylvilagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[European Rabbit|Oryctolagus]]''<br /> |
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''[[Poelagus]]'' |
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}} |
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'''Rabbits''' are small [[mammal]]s in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Leporidae]] of the order [[Lagomorpha]], found in several parts of the world. There are seven different [[genus|genera]] in the family [[taxonomy|classified]] as rabbits, including the [[European rabbit]] (''Oryctolagus cuniculus''), [[Cottontail rabbit]] (genus ''Sylvilagus''; 13 [[species]]), and the [[Amami rabbit]] (''Pentalagus furnessi'', [[endangered species]] on [[Amami Ōshima]], [[Japan]]). There are many other species of rabbit, and these, along with [[pika]]s and [[hare]]s, make up the [[order (biology)|order]] [[Lagomorpha]]. |
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==Location and habitat== |
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Rabbits are ground dwellers that live in [[habitat|environment]]s ranging from [[desert]] to [[tropical forest]] and [[wetland]]. Their natural geographic range encompasses the middle latitudes of the Western Hemisphere. In the Eastern Hemisphere rabbits are found in [[Europe]], portions of Central and Southern [[Africa]], the Indian subcontinent, [[Sumatra]], and [[Japan]]. The [[European rabbit]] (''Oryctolagus cuniculus'') has been introduced to many locations around the world, and all breeds of domestic rabbit originate from the European.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> |
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==Characteristics and anatomy== |
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The long ears of rabbits are most likely an adaptation for detecting [[predator]]s. In addition to their prominent ears, which can measure more than {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} long, rabbits have long, powerful hind legs and a short tail. Each foot has five digits (one reduced); rabbits move about on the tips of the digits in a fashion known as [[digitigrade]] locomotion. Full-bodied and egg-shaped, wild rabbits are rather uniform in body proportions and stance. The smallest is the [[Pygmy Rabbit|pygmy rabbit]] (''Brachylagus idahoensis''), at only 20 cm in length and 0.4 kg (0.9 pound) in weight, while the largest grow to 50 cm and more than 2 kg. The fur is generally long and soft, and its color ranges through shades of brown, gray, and buff. Exceptions are the black [[Amami rabbit]] (''Pentalagus furnessi'') of [[Japan]] and two black-striped species from Southeast Asia. The tail is usually a small puff of fur, generally brownish but white on top in the cottontails (genus ''Sylvilagus'') of [[North America|North]] and [[South America]].<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia | title = rabbit | encyclopedia = [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] | publisher = [[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] | location = Chicago | edition = Standard Edition | date = 2007}}</ref> |
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===Cecal pellets=== |
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Rabbits are [[hindgut]] digesters. This means that most of their digestion takes place in their [[large intestine]] and [[cecum]]. In rabbits, the cecum is approximately 10 times bigger than the stomach, and it, along with the large intestine, makes up roughly 40% of the rabbit's digestive tract.<ref>"Feeding the Pet Rabbit"</ref> [[Cecotropes]], sometimes called "night feces", come from the cecum and are high in [[mineral]]s, [[vitamin]]s and [[protein]]s that are necessary to the rabbit's health. Rabbits eat these in order to meet their nutritional requirements. This process allows rabbits to extract the necessary nutrients from their food.<ref>Dr. Byron de la Navarre's "Care of Rabbits" Susan A. Brown, DVM's "Overview of Common Rabbit Diseases: Diseases Related to Diet"</ref> |
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==Diet and eating habits== |
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Rabbits are [[herbivore]]s who feed by grazing on [[grass]], [[forb]]s, and leafy weeds. In consequence, their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem by passing two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are immediately eaten. Rabbits [[coprophagia|reingest their own droppings]] (rather than [[Ruminant|chewing the cud]] as do cows and many other herbivores) in order to fully digest their food and extract sufficient nutrients.<ref>[http://www.scottveterinaryclinic.co.uk/rabbits.html rabbits<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.oaktreevet.co.uk/Pages/leaflets/rabbit%20general.htm rabbits general<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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Rabbits graze heavily and rapidly for roughly the first half hour of a grazing period (usually in the late afternoon), followed by about half an hour of more selective feeding. In this time, the rabbit will also excrete many hard faecal pellets, being waste pellets that will not be reingested. If the environment is relatively non-threatening, the rabbit will remain outdoors for many hours, grazing at intervals. While out of the burrow, the rabbit will occasionally reingest its soft, partially digested pellets; this is rarely observed, since the pellets are reingested as they are produced. Reingestion is most common within the burrow between 8 o'clock in the morning and 5 o'clock in the evening, being carried out intermittently within that period. |
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Hard pellets are made up of hay-like fragments of plant cuticle and stalk, being the final waste product after redigestion of soft pellets. These are only released outside the burrow and are not reingested. Soft pellets are usually produced several hours after grazing, after the hard pellets have all been excreted. They are made up of micro-organisms and undigested plant cell walls. |
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The chewed plant material collects in the large cecum, a secondary chamber between the large and small intestine containing large quantities of symbiotic bacteria that help with the digestion of cellulose and also produce certain B vitamins. The pellets are about 56% bacteria by dry weight, largely accounting for the pellets being 24.4% protein on average. These pellets remain intact for up to six hours in the stomach, the bacteria within continuing to digest the plant carbohydrates. The soft feces form here and contain up to five times the vitamins of hard feces. After being excreted, they are eaten whole by the rabbit and redigested in a special part of the stomach. This double-digestion process enables rabbits to utilize nutrients that they may have missed during the first passage through the gut and thus ensures that maximum nutrition is derived from the food they eat.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> This process serves the same purpose within the rabbit as [[rumination]] does in cattle and sheep.<ref>''The Private Life of the Rabbit'', R. M. Lockley, 1964. Chapter 10.</ref> <!-- This reference is for the whole section, as written 30th July 2007 --> |
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Rabbits are incapable of [[vomiting]] due to the [[physiology]] of their digestive system.<ref name="rabbit.org2"> |
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{{Cite web |
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|url = http://www.rabbit.org/fun/answer11.html |
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|title = True or False? Rabbits are physically incapable of vomiting. (Answer to Pop Quiz)}}</ref> |
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==Behavior== |
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[[Image:Rabbit side view.JPG|200px|thumb|A rabbit's side view.]] |
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While the European rabbit is the best-known species, it is probably also the least typical, as there is considerable variability in the natural history of rabbits. Many rabbits dig burrows, but cottontails and hispid hares do not. The European rabbit constructs the most extensive burrow systems, called warrens. Nonburrowing rabbits make surface nests called forms, generally under dense protective cover. The European rabbit occupies open landscapes such as fields, parks, and gardens, although it has colonized habitats from stony deserts to subalpine valleys. It is the most social rabbit, sometimes forming groups in warrens of up to 20 individuals. However, even in European rabbits' social behaviour can be quite flexible, depending on habitat and other local conditions, so that at times the primary [[social unit]] is a territorial breeding pair. Most rabbits are relatively solitary and sometimes territorial, coming together only to breed or occasionally to forage in small groups. During territorial disputes rabbits will sometimes “box,” using their front limbs. Rabbits are active throughout the year; no species is known to hibernate. Rabbits are generally nocturnal, and they also are relatively silent. Other than loud screams when frightened or caught by a predator, the only auditory signal known for most species is a loud foot thump made to indicate alarm or aggression. Notable exceptions are the [[Amami rabbit]] and the volcano rabbit of Mexico, which both utter a variety of calls.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> |
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Instead of sound, scent seems to play a predominant role in the communication systems of most rabbits; they possess well-developed glands throughout their body and rub them on fixed objects to convey group identity, sex, age, social and reproductive status, and territory ownership. Urine is also used in chemical communication. When danger is perceived, the general tendency of rabbits is to freeze and hide under cover. If chased by a predator, they engage in quick, irregular movement, designed more to evade and confuse than to outdistance a pursuer. Skeletal adaptations such as long hind limbs and a strengthened pelvic girdle enable their agility and speed (up to 48 km [30 miles] per hour).<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> |
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==Reproduction== |
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Most rabbits produce many offspring each year, although scarcity of resources may cause this potential to be suppressed. A combination of factors allows the high rates of reproduction commonly associated with rabbits. Rabbits generally are able to breed at a young age, and many regularly conceive litters of up to seven young, often doing so four or five times a year due to the fact that a rabbit's gestation period is only 28 to 31 days.<ref name="rabbit.org"> |
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{{Cite web |
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|title = What's the gestation period of a rabbit? (Answer to Pop Quiz) |
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|url = http://www.rabbit.org/fun/answer3.html}}</ref> In addition, females exhibit [[induced ovulation]], their ovaries releasing eggs in response to copulation rather than according to a regular cycle. They can also undergo [[postpartum estrus]], conceiving immediately after a litter has been born.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> |
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Newborn rabbits are naked, blind, and helpless at birth ([[altricial]]). Mothers are remarkably inattentive to their young and are almost absentee parents, commonly nursing their young only once per day and for just a few minutes. To overcome this lack of attention, the milk of rabbits is highly nutritious and among the richest of that of all mammals. The young grow rapidly, and most are weaned in about a month. Males (bucks) do not assist in rearing the kittens.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica"/> |
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==Diseases of rabbits== |
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*[[Myxomatosis]] |
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*[[Coccidiosis]] (of the liver and the intestines) |
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*[[Pasteurellosis]] |
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==Differences from hares== |
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{{main|Hare}} |
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Rabbits are clearly distinguished from hares in that rabbits are [[altricial]], having young that are born blind and hairless. In contrast, hares are generally born with hair and are able to see ([[precocial]]). All rabbits except the cottontail rabbit live underground in [[burrow]]s or warrens, while hares live in simple nests above the ground (as does the [[cottontail rabbit]]), and usually do not live in groups. Hares are generally larger than rabbits, with longer ears, and have black markings on their fur. Hares have not been [[domesticated]], while rabbits are often kept as house pets. In gardens, they are typically kept in [[hutch (animal cage)|hutches]]—small, wooden, house-like boxes—that protect the rabbits from the environment and predators. |
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==Rabbits as pets== |
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{{main|House rabbit|}} |
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Pet rabbits kept indoors are referred to as [[house rabbit]]s. House rabbits typically have an indoor pen or cage and a rabbit-safe place to run and exercise, such as an exercise pen, living room or family room. Rabbits can be trained to use a litter box and some can learn to come when called. [[Domestic rabbit]]s that do not live indoors can also often serve as companions for their owners, typically living in an easily accessible hutch outside the home. Some pet rabbits live in outside hutches during the day for the benefit of fresh air and natural daylight and are brought inside at night. |
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Whether indoor or outdoor, pet rabbits' pens are often equipped with enrichment activities such as shelves, tunnels, balls, and other toys. Pet rabbits are often provided additional space in which to get exercise, simulating the open space a rabbit would traverse in the wild. Exercise pens or lawn pens are often used to provide a safe place for rabbits to run. |
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A pet rabbit's diet typically consists of unlimited [[Timothy hay]], a small amount of pellets, and a small portion of fresh vegetables. |
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Rabbits are social animals. Rabbits as pets can find their companionship with a variety of creatures, including humans, other rabbits, [[guinea pig]]s, and sometimes even [[cat]]s and [[dog]]s. Rabbits do not make good pets for small children because they do not know how to stay quiet, calm, and gentle around rabbits. As prey animals, rabbits are alert, timid creatures that startle easily. They have fragile bones, especially in their backs, that require support on the belly and bottom when picked up. Children 10 years old and older usually have the maturity required to care for a rabbit. |
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The service and therapy animals organization [http://www.deltasociety.org/AnimalsHealthChildrenChildren.htm Delta Society] has used pet rabbits as therapy for adults and children since the 1970s. |
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==Rabbits as food and clothing== |
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{{seealso|Domestic rabbit}} |
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<!-- This section is the target of an [[internal link]] from [[Taboo food and drink]] --> |
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[[Image:Australian rabbiter, NSW from The Powerhouse Museum Collection.jpg|thumb|An [[Australian]] 'Rabbiter' circa 1900]] |
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[[Image:Rabbit skins.jpg|thumb|A load of rabbit skins, [[Northern Tablelands, New South Wales]]]] |
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[[Leporidae|Leporids]] such as European rabbits and [[hare]]s are a food meat in Europe, South America, North America, some parts of the Middle East, and China, among other places. |
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Rabbit is still commonly sold in UK butchers and markets, although not frequently in supermarkets. At farmers markets and the famous [[Borough Market]] in London, rabbits will be displayed dead and hanging unbutchered in the traditional style next to braces of [[pheasant]] and other small game. Rabbit meat was once commonly sold in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]], the sellers of which giving the name to the [[rugby league]] team the [[South Sydney Rabbitohs]], but quickly became unpopular after the disease [[myxomatosis]] was introduced in an attempt to wipe out the feral rabbit population (see also [[Rabbits in Australia]]). |
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When used for food, rabbits are both hunted and bred for meat. [[Trapping (Animal)|Snare]]s or [[gun]]s along with dogs are usually employed when catching wild rabbits for food. In many regions, rabbits are also bred for meat, a practice called [[cuniculture]]. Rabbits can then be killed by hitting the back of their heads, a practice from which the term ''[[rabbit punch]]'' is derived. Rabbit meat is a source of high quality protein.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Rabbit_from_Farm_to_Table/index.asp |title=Rabbit: From Farm to Table}}</ref> It can be used in most ways chicken meat is used. In fact, well-known chef [[Mark Bittman]] says that domesticated rabbit [[tastes like chicken]] because both are blank palettes upon which any desired flavors can be layered.<ref name="bittman">{{cite web|url=http://www.howtocookeverything.tv/htce/TakeOnTheRecipes/detail/recipeId-24.html|title=How to Cook Everything :: Braised Rabbit with Olives ||date=2008|accessdate=2008-07-17}}</ref> Rabbit meat is leaner than beef, pork, and chicken meat. Rabbit products are generally labeled in three ways, the first being Fryer. This is a young rabbit between 1½ and 3½ pounds and up to 12 weeks in age. This type of meat is tender and fine grained. The next product is a Roaster; they are usually over 4 pounds and over 8 months in age. The flesh is firm and coarse grained and less tender than a fryer. Then there are giblets which include the liver and heart. One of the most common types of rabbit to be bred for meat is [[New Zealand white rabbit]]. |
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There are several health issues associated with the use of rabbits for meat, one of which is [[Tularemia]] or Rabbit Fever.<ref>[http://health.utah.gov/epi/fact_sheets/tularem.html Tularemia (Rabbit fever)]</ref> Another is so-called [[rabbit starvation]], due most likely to essential [[amino acid]] deficiencies in rabbit meat and synthesis limitations in human beings. |
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Rabbits are a favorite food item of large pythons, such as Burmese pythons and reticulated pythons, both in the wild, as well as pet pythons. A typical diet for example, for a pet Burmese python, is a rabbit once a week.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} |
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Rabbit [[pelt]]s are sometimes used in for clothing and accessories, such as scarves or hats. Rabbits are very good producers of manure; additionally, their urine, being high in nitrogen, makes lemon trees very productive. Their milk may also be of great medicinal or nutritional benefit due to its high protein content.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} |
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==Environmental problems== |
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[[Image:MyxoRabbit.JPG|thumb|right|A [[European Rabbit]] afflicted by [[Myxomatosis]] in [[England]].]] |
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{{seealso|Rabbits in Australia}} |
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Rabbits have been a source of environmental problems when introduced into the wild by humans. As a result of their appetites, and the rate at which they breed, wild rabbit depredation can be problematic for agriculture. [[Gas]]sing, barriers (fences), shooting, snaring, and [[ferret]]ing have been used to control rabbit populations, but the most effective measures are diseases such as [[myxomatosis]] (myxo or mixi, colloquially) and [[Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus|calicivirus]]. In Europe, where rabbits are farmed on a large scale, they are protected against myxomatosis and calicivirus with a genetically modified virus. The virus was developed in Spain, and is beneficial to rabbit farmers. If it were to make its way into wild populations in areas such as Australia, it could create a population boom, as those diseases are the most serious threats to rabbit survival. Rabbits in Australia are considered to be such a pest that land owners are legally obliged to control them.{{Fact|date=November 2008}} |
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==Classifications== |
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Rabbits and hares were formerly classified in the order [[Rodent]]ia (rodent) until 1912, when they were moved into a new order [[Lagomorpha]]. This order also includes [[pika]]s. |
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Order '''[[Lagomorpha]]''' |
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*Family '''[[Leporidae]]''' |
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**Genus ''[[Amami Rabbit|Pentalagus]]'' |
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***[[Amami Rabbit|Amami Rabbit/Ryūkyū Rabbit]], ''Pentalagus furnessi'' |
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**Genus ''[[Bushman Rabbit|Bunolagus]]'' |
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***[[Bushman Rabbit]], ''Bunolagus monticularis'' |
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**Genus ''[[Sumatra Short-Eared Rabbit|Nesolagus]]'' |
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***[[Sumatran Striped Rabbit]], ''Nesolagus netscheri'' |
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***[[Annamite Striped Rabbit]], ''Nesolagus timminsi'' |
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**Genus ''[[Volcano Rabbit|Romerolagus]]'' |
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***[[Volcano Rabbit]], ''Romerolagus diazi'' |
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**Genus ''[[Pygmy Rabbit|Brachylagus]]'' |
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***[[Pygmy Rabbit]], ''Brachylagus idahoensis'' |
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**Genus ''[[Sylvilagus]]'' |
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***[[Forest Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus brasiliensis'' |
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***[[Dice's Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus dicei'' |
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***[[Brush Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus bachmani'' |
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***[[San Jose Brush Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus mansuetus'' |
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***[[Swamp Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus aquaticus'' |
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***[[Marsh Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus palustris'' |
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***[[Eastern Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus floridanus'' |
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***[[New England Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus transitionalis'' |
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***[[Mountain Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus nuttallii'' |
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***[[Desert Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus audubonii'' |
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***[[Omilteme Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus insonus'' |
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***[[Mexican Cottontail]], ''Sylvilagus cunicularis'' |
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***[[Tres Marias Rabbit]], ''Sylvilagus graysoni'' |
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**Genus ''[[European Rabbit|Oryctolagus]]'' |
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***[[European Rabbit]], ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' |
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**Genus ''[[Central African Rabbit|Poelagus]]'' |
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***[[Central African Rabbit]], ''Poelagus marjorita'' |
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**Three other genera in family, regarded as [[hare]]s, not rabbits |
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==Naming== |
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Rabbits are often known affectionately by the pet name ''bunny'' or ''bunny rabbit'', especially when referring to young, domesticated rabbits. Originally, the word for an adult rabbit was ''coney '' or ''cony'', while ''rabbit'' referred only to the young animals. The word rabbit, however, mostly replaced the older word during the nineteenth century after coney became a vulgarism by analogy to the word ''[[cunt]]'' (widely considered vulgar) due to their similar pronunciation. When coney was used to refer to rabbits, its pronunciation was changed to [{{IPA|koʊ.ni}}] (rhymes with "phoney"), instead of the original [{{IPA|kʌ.ni}}] (rhymes with "money") because of this.<ref>Shipley, Joseph Twadell, ''The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots'', JHU Press, 1984, p.129</ref><ref>Carney, Edward, ''A survey of English spelling'', Routledge, 1994, p.469</ref><ref>Morton, Mark, ''Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities'', Insomniac Press, 2004, p.251</ref><ref>Allen & Burridge, ''Forbidden Words'', Cambridge University Press, 2006, p.242</ref> More recently, the term ''kit'' has been used to refer to a young rabbit. A group of young rabbits is referred to as a ''kindle''. Young hares are called ''leverets'', and this term is sometimes informally applied to any young rabbit. Male rabbits are called ''bucks'' and females ''does''. A group of rabbits or hares is often called a ''fluffle'' in parts of Northern [[Canada]]. |
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==Rabbits in culture and literature== |
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{{seealso|List of fictional rabbits}} |
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[[Image:Ts'ui Po 001.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''Rabbit and Acorn Jay Birds'', a [[Song Dynasty]] era painting by [[Chinese art]]ist [[Cui Bai]], painted in 1061 AD.]] |
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Rabbits are often used as a symbol of [[fertility]] or rebirth, and have long been associated with [[Spring (season)|spring]] and [[Easter]] as the [[Easter Bunny]]. The species' role as a prey animal also lends itself as a symbol of innocence, another Easter connotation. |
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Additionally, rabbits are often used as symbols of playful [[Human sexuality|sexuality]], which also relates to the human perception of innocence, as well as its reputation as a prolific breeder.{{See|Playboy Bunny}} |
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===Folklore and mythology=== |
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The rabbit often appears in folklore as the [[trickster]] [[archetype]], as he uses his cunning to outwit his enemies. |
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*In [[Aztec mythology]], a pantheon of four hundred rabbit gods known as [[Centzon Totochtin]], led by [[Ometotchtli]] or Two Rabbit, represented fertility, parties, and drunkenness. |
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*In [[Central Africa]] "Kalulu" the rabbit is widely known as a tricky character, getting the better of bargains. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} |
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*In [[Chinese literature]], rabbits accompany [[Chang'e (mythology)|Chang'e]] on the Moon. Also associated with the [[Chinese New Year]] (or [[Lunar New Year]]), [[Rabbit (zodiac)|rabbits]] are also one of the twelve celestial animals in the [[Chinese Zodiac]] for the [[Chinese calendar]]. It is interesting to note that the Vietnamese lunar new year replaced the rabbit with a cat in their calendar, as rabbits did not inhabit Vietnam. |
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*In the [[folklore of the United States]], a [[rabbit's foot]] is frequently carried as an [[amulet]], and is often used on [[keychain]]s, where it is thought to bring luck. The practice derives from the system of [[African-American]] [[magic (paranormal)|folk magic]] called ''[[hoodoo]].'' |
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*In [[Culture of Japan|Japanese tradition]], rabbits live on the [[Moon]] where they make [[Mochi (food)|mochi]], the popular snack of mashed [[Glutinous rice|sticky rice]]. This comes from interpreting the pattern of dark patches on the moon as a rabbit standing on tiptoes on the left pounding on an [[usu]], a Japanese mortar (See also: [[Moon rabbit]]). A popular culture manifestation of this tradition can be found in the character title character of [[Sailor Moon]], whose name is [[Usagi Tsukino]], a [[Japanese language|Japanese]] pun on the words "rabbit of the moon." |
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*In [[Jewish folklore]], rabbits (shfanim) are associated with cowardice. |
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*A [[Korea]]n myth similar to the Japanese counterpart presents rabbits living on the moon making rice cakes ([[Tteok]] in Korean). |
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*In [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] [[Ojibwe]] mythology, [[Nanabozho]], or Great Rabbit, is an important deity related to the creation of the world. |
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*In [[Ugandan]] folklore, Shufti the rabit was the leader of the peoples when the [[sun]] [[God]] burnt the crops to the ground after the [[skull]] of the golden [[albatross]] was left out on the plains on the first day of the year. |
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*A [[Vietnam]]ese mythological story portrays the rabbit of innocence and youthfulness. The Gods of the myth are shown to be hunting and killing rabbits to show off their power. |
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On the [[Isle of Portland]] in Dorset, UK, the rabbit is said to be unlucky and speaking its name can cause upset with older residents. This is thought to date back to early times in the quarrying industry, where piles of extracted stone (not fit for sale) were built into tall rough walls (to save space) directly behind the working quarry face; the rabbit's natural tendency to burrow would weaken these "walls" and cause collapse, often resulting in injuries or even death. |
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The name rabbit is often substituted with words such as “long ears” or “underground mutton”, so as not to have to say the actual word and bring bad luck to oneself. It is said that a public house (on the island) can be cleared of people by calling out the word rabbit and while this was very true in the past, it has gradually become more fable than fact over the past 50 years. |
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===Other fictional rabbits=== |
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The rabbit as [[trickster]] appears in American popular culture; for example the [[Br'er Rabbit]] character from African-American folktales and [[Disney]] animation; and the [[Warner Bros.]] [[cartoon]] character [[Bugs Bunny]]. |
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Anthropomorphized rabbits have appeared in a [[List of fictional rabbits|host of works]] of film, literature, and technology, notably the [[White Rabbit]] and the [[March Hare]] in [[Lewis Carroll]]'s ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland]]''; in the popular novel ''[[Watership Down]],'' by [[Richard Adams (author)|Richard Adams]] (which has also been made into a movie) and in [[Beatrix Potter]]'s [[Peter Rabbit]] stories. |
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Rabbits are also the subject of one of the first children's stories ''[[The Velveteen Rabbit]]'' by [[Margery Williams]], as well as the [[Little Golden Books]] story "''The Lively LIttle Rabbit''". They also appear as [[Rabbid]]s in the [[Ubisoft]] game ''[[Rayman Raving Rabbids]]'' and ''[[Rayman Raving Rabbids 2]]''. In the movie ''[[Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]'', there is the ''Killer [[Rabbit of Caerbannog]]'' which is killed by the ''[[Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch]]''. |
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Rabbits are featured in two episodes of ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' TV series, namely [[Invasion of the Moon Creatures]] and [[Animals (Goodies episode)|Animals]]. |
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The [[Pokémon]] franchise has also released two new rabbit Pokémon, [[Buneary]] and its evolution [[Lopunny]]. |
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The namesake of the [[Open Source]] film [[Big Buck Bunny]] is a large anthropomorphized rabbit terrorized by a trio of rodents. |
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The ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (series)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' video game series features the character [[Cream the Rabbit]], daughter to [[Vanilla the Rabbit]]. |
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Branny, from the webcomic [[Anema: Age of the Robots]] is light blue-colored rabbit. |
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The webcomic [[Sluggy Freelance]] contains the character [[Characters_of_Sluggy_Freelance#Bun-bun|Bun-Bun]], a sociopathic, cream-and-grey mini-lop rabbit with a fondness for alcohol, weapons, money and attractive buxom women. He's also very fond of his [[switchblade]] and has made guest appearances in other author's stories. |
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===Urban legends=== |
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{{main|Rabbit test}} |
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It was commonly believed that [[pregnancy test]]s were based on the idea that a rabbit would die if injected with a [[pregnancy|pregnant]] woman's [[urine]]. This is not true. However, in the 1920s it was discovered that if the urine contained the [[human chorionic gonadotropin|hCG]], a hormone found in the bodies of pregnant women, the rabbit would display ovarian changes. The rabbit would then be killed to have its [[ovaries]] inspected, but the death of the rabbit was not the indicator of the results. Later revisions of the [[Rabbit Test|test]] allowed technicians to inspect the ovaries without killing the animal. A similar test involved injecting [[Frogs in research|Xenopus frogs]] to make them lay eggs, but animal assays for pregnancy have been made obsolete by faster, cheaper, and simpler modern methods. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Cecotrope]] |
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*[[Cuniculture]] |
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*[[Domestic rabbit]] |
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*[[Dwarf rabbits]] |
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*[[European Rabbit]] |
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*[[House rabbit]] |
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*[[Jackalope]] |
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*[[List of fictional rabbits]] |
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*[[Rabbit hopping]] |
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*[[Rabbits in Australia]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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{{commons|Rabbit}} |
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{{cookbook}} |
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*[http://www.arba.net/ American Rabbit Breeders Association] an organization which promotes all phases of rabbit keeping. |
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*[http://www.rabbit.org/ House Rabbit Society] an activist organization which promotes keeping rabbits indoors. |
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*[http://www.rabbitshows.com/ RabbitShows.com] an informational site on the hobby of showing rabbits. |
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*[http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html The (mostly) silent language of rabbits] |
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*[http://world-rabbit-science.org/ World Rabbit Science Association] an international rabbit-health science-based organization. |
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{{Lagomorpha|L.}} |
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{{North American Game}} |
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{{English Game}} |
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[[Category:Rabbits and hares]] |
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[[Category:Meat]] |
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[[ar:أرنب]] |
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[[ca:Conill]] |
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[[cy:Cwningen]] |
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[[de:Kaninchen]] |
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[[el:Κουνέλι]] |
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[[es:Conejo]] |
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[[eo:Kuniklo]] |
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[[fa:خرگوش]] |
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[[fr:Lapin]] |
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[[iu:ᐅᑲᓕᐊᑦᓯᐊᖅ/ukaliatsiaq]] |
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[[it:Coniglio]] |
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[[la:Cuniculus]] |
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[[lmo:Cunìch]] |
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[[ms:Arnab]] |
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[[nl:Konijn (dier)]] |
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[[ja:ウサギ]] |
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[[pl:Królik]] |
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[[pt:Coelho]] |
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[[ru:Кролики]] |
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[[simple:Rabbit]] |
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[[sr:Зец]] |
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[[fi:Kaniini]] |
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[[sv:Kaniner]] |
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[[tl:Kuneho]] |
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[[ta:முயல்]] |
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[[th:กระต่าย]] |
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[[ur:خرگوش]] |
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[[zh:兔]] |
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Revision as of 09:22, 20 November 2008
PANSEXUAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!