Taxon: Lagomorpha

 

Habitat: Urban & gardens, deciduous woodland, grassland, mixed woodland, arable land.
 
Description: The rabbit has long ears without black tips and long hind legs; its colouring is sandy and less reddish than brown hare. The rabbit is smaller than the hare and has a bobbing gait, rather than the loping gait that hares have.
 
Size: Up to 40cm.
 
Weight: 1.2 – 2kg. Male usually heavier than females.
 
Lifespan: Rabbits don’t often live for more than 3 years. Over 90% die in the first year of life, and most of these in the first three months.
 
Origin & Distribution: Rabbits originate from the western Mediterranean. They were introduced to Britain by the Normans in the 12th century to provide meat and fur. Rabbits are now widespread throughout Britain and Ireland, but are absent from Rum, Isles of Scilly and a few smaller islands. Rabbits can be found almost anywhere they can burrow: sand dunes, railway verges and even in urban areas. The most suitable areas are those where the burrow area and food supply are side-by-side, such as woodland edge and hedgerows. Open warrens are maintained where good burrowing conditions exist on areas of short grass, sand dunes, railway verges and in urban areas. They are rarely found above the tree-line and avoid damp conditions and areas deep in conifer woodland.
 
 
Brown hare (Lepus europaeus)
Amber eyes, very different to rabbit’s brown eyes. Brown hare is larger than the rabbit and has longer limbs. Ears of hare about twice the length of the head, longer than those of rabbit and have distinctive black tips. Hare has orange/brown fur on flanks, compared to grey/brown fur of rabbit.
 
 
 
 Mountain hare (Lepus timidus)
Larger than rabbit with longer limbs. Longer ears than rabbit with black tips.Pale grey body in summer, or white in winter (with black tips of ears still remaining), whereas rabbit has grey/brown fur all year round.