Types Of Rabbits
Learn about Types of rabbits. Basically mammals rabbits belong to the family Leporidae. Rabbits are vertebrae and belong to the order Lagomorpha. A female rabbit is called a doe while a male is called a buck. Kitten and kit are the names given to a young rabbit. Some of the different types of rabbits are:
Amami rabbit (Pentalagus furnessai)- Commonly known as Ryukyu rabbit are found only on 2 islands in Japan. They have short, hind legs and feet with a bulky body and large curved claws. Their ears and eyes are comparatively smaller than the common types of rabbits.
Bushman rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis) – Well known as riverine rabbits they are amongst the endangered and rarest types of rabbits in the world. They can be seen in particular regions of Karoo desert in South Africa. They are nocturnal species with black stripes running from the need of the mouth over the cheek.
Sumatran striped rabbit (Nesolagus netschen)- One of the most endangered types of rabbits it is mainly found in Western Sumatra. With characteristic brown stripes these gray rabbits have a red tail and rump and a white underside.
Volcano Rabbit (Romerolagus diazi)- Being the world’s second smallest rabbits they weigh between 30 to 600 grams. They reside in the mountains of Mexico. Living in groups of 2 to 5 animals they warn others of danger through high pitched sound rather than thumping its feet. This nocturnal species is most active anytime between twilight and dawn
Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus Idahoensis) – It is the world’s smallest rabbit, weighing between 375 and 500 grams and among the North American types of rabbit. The males are slightly smaller than the females. They dig their own burrow and do not have white fur on their tail.
Forest rabbits (Sylvilagus brasiliensis) – Commonly known as tapeti it is a nocturnal solitary animal found in swamps in river edges in forested areas.
Brush rabbit (Sylvilagusbanchmani) – Though it belongs to the species of cottontail rabbit it is much smaller with a white tail compared to the other cottontails. The fur of the upper side in somewhere between brown and gray but has a white underside.
Swamp rabbit ((Sylvilagus Aquaticus) – As the name suggests they are commonly found in the wetlands and swamps in the regions of Southern United States. With an appearance like other cottontails with brown fur they are semi-aquatic, shy away from their predators in shallow water with only nose exposed to breathe.
Mountain Cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttalli) – With ears relatively short and rounded tips these rabbits have a brown nape, greyish white tail and a noticeable hairy inner surface. They feed mostly on grasses. They can be found in mountainous regions of United States and Canada.
Desert Cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii) – They do not dig their burrows instead use burrows dug by other rodents. It has large ears which are mostly erect. Mainly a grass eater it is also a coprophagic, eating its own faeces.
European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) – One of the most common types of rabbits they are known for making a network of burrows which are called warrens. Their young ones are furless and blind and depend upon their mother for existence. It is widely domesticated for food as well as pet.
