Members of the Lagomorpha order, rabbits belong to the
family of Leporidae and are indigenous to Europe, Africa,
America and
parts of Asia. Rabbits are found in the wild and
domestic setting (as pets). Distinctive features of the rabbit are wide powerful
back feet for digging, front clawed feet for burrowing and long ears for
hearing their enemies approach.
The rabbit lives underground in warrens with hundreds of
other rabbits. They live in woodland areas as well as desserts and wetland
habitats. There are several species of rabbit all adapted to their natural
surroundings.
Rabbits are constant grazers and herbivores, foraging and
munching on grass and plant cellulose for several hours at a time. They begin
by eating a lot of food very quickly which results in excretion of
pellets. They then eat more slowly and
are more selective in their choices. Sometimes rabbits will eat their own
excretion. Rabbits produce two types of feces: one for reingesting and one for
permanent excretion of waste materials.
The female rabbit has a bifurcated uterus which allows her
to carry the offspring of several males at one time. Rabbits are born in groups
of one to 12 and the mother is only pregnant for a month.