How Big Can Rabbits Grow?

by Abigail Gezae, age 9

If you’re from the midwest, you’ve probably seen a rabbit before. Rabbits are small fluffy creatures with long ears and short puffy tails. There are over 30 species of rabbits and they can live in different habitats.

Rabbits and hares are similar in several ways and even share the same taxonomic family, Leporidae. However, they are different in genera, or subfamilies. Eleven types of genera exist within the taxonomic family.

Rabbits can be as small as a house cat, others may grow as big as a small child. A small rabbit like the pygmy rabbit can be as little as twenty centimeters in length and weigh less than a pound. In comparison, larger rabbits can grow to 50 centimeters and weigh more than 10 pounds. According to the Guiness World Records, the world’s longest rabbit was 129 cm long and 49 pounds!

Rabbits tend to breed three to four times annually because there is a high death rate for their offspring. Only 15 percent of baby rabbits live to their first birthday. Each pregnancy can have as many as three to eight babies which can care for themselves after a few weeks. After a few months, these offspring can quickly start their own families.

When it comes to diet, rabbits are herbivores, or planteaters. They consume grass, cruciferous plants, and foods such as fruits and seeds. They also feed on roots, buds and tree bark.

While originally from Europe and Africa, rabbits are found all over the world. They occupy most of the world’s land, except for parts of the West Indies, Madagascar, st islands southeast of Asia. Wild rabbits can thrive in many temperatures and they can inhabit environments like woods, forests, grasslands or deserts. Their homes are usually tunnels beneath the ground that can go as deep as three meters.

Rabbits typically live in large groups known as collies. They are very social animals work together to get food and hide from predators. These predators are usually large birds like owls, hawks and eagles.

Rabbits are fascinating creatures that can survive in various environments. Next time you see a rabbit I hope you can appreciate its beauty and interesting background!

[Source: LiveScience.com ]