![]() ![]() The European Rabbit is the ancestor of all domestic rabbits. Predators of the European Rabbit include cats, dogs, mustelids, birds of prey and owls. What Efforts Were Made to Contain the Rabbit Population Countries such as Australia have attempted to limit the population of rabbits by. In addition, rabbits also breed rapidly, which allowed the population to grow very rapidly, especially when they were left unchecked by predators. The youngsters are weaned after 28 days and they reach sexual maturity at 4 months old. There were relatively few predators and so those animals thrived and to such an extent that Australia was described as having a grey blanket, the blanket being the rabbits, and they degraded a huge amount of the country. Because rabbits have no predators in Australia they thrive. After a gestation period of 28 - 33 days, they will give birth to 3 - 12 young. Rabbits can be easy tucker for introduced predators like feral cats and foxes helping to sustain those species and hence their predation on native animals. During the winter months they eat grasses, bulbs and bark.Įuropean Rabbits breed throughout they year and they will produce several litters annually with most being born between February and August. They inhabit heathland, grassland, woodland, open meadows and the edges of agricultural land.Įuropean Rabbits feed on a wide range of vegetation including agricultural crops, cereals, cabbages and young trees. They have been introduced to Australia, New Zealand and South America. This capability of living things to produce. Other rabbit predators include Weasels, ferrets, badgers, stoats and snakes. A virus called myxoma was introduced in the 1950s, and caused a population crash, but the survivors have developed immunity and the population has rebounded. They are grey brown in colour with a pale coloured underside.Įuropean Rabbits are found throughout Europe and in north west Africa. Population Growth Problem: Rabbits were introduced to Australia in the 18th century and, lacking natural predators, their population exploded. ![]() Location Europe, NW Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Southern S AmericaĮuropean Rabbits have a body length between 34 and 50 cms (13.5 - 20 inches), a tail length between 4 and 8 cms (1.6 - 3.25 inches) and they weigh between 1 and 2.5 kgs (2.25 - 5.5 lbs). ![]()
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