What do wild rabbits eat? Where do wild rabbits live in nature?

Inherent characteristic features, distinguishing them from other lagomorphs.

Regardless of the species or group, these animals are endowed with special characteristics, their own signs.

Only complete absence experience, observation and knowledge in the field of fur-bearing livestock does not allow one to say which animal has settled in the enclosure. Short-term care and communication will immediately fill the gaps and provide an opportunity to figure things out.

Memorable appearance or special anatomical structure of the body

The body of the hare is more elongated and large in size with a seasonally changing color depending on the time of year.

In summer the coat is dark or with variegated streaks, in winter it becomes lighter or bleached.

The rabbit looks more modest and does not dye its fur coat.

The weight of adult individuals depends on the species (there are miniature pygmies that do not reach 400 g), generally fluctuating between 2-3 kg.

You should pay attention to the length of the limbs. Hare's feet muscular, strong, formed under the influence of the instinct of self-preservation. The limbs are adapted for fast running across fields, ravines, and high jumps. Rabbit steep turns no use.

For its habitat, gentle, short, neat legs are enough to move calmly and evenly. But the large soft pads and powerful claws are adapted for digging deep underground passages. They move along the surface only on their toes, relying on all points at once (5 on the front paw and 4 on the back paw).

You don't need long, high bunny ears either.

Their locating abilities are designed for delicate, thin, medium-sized ears.

They look proportionate on the head with uniformly smooth shapes of the nose and shortened antennae.

The fur is thick, intensely colored, soft to the touch, without harshness.

She molts twice a year. The predominant colors are gray and yellow-brown with a uniform undercoat.

Do not change for summer or winter. Scientists engaged in detailed study find differences in the structure internal organs. For example:

• The position of the epiglottis above the palate opens the way to nasal breathing.
• Intestinal digestion, the process of which takes place with great participation of the cecum.
• The muscles of the tract are designed in such a way that there is a clear distinction between solid fibrous residues and easily digestible substances.
• The structure of the skull and the unequal development of individual bones.
• The teeth (incisors) are arranged in 2 rows.
• The width of the lumbar vertebrae is several percent greater.
• Muscle contraction occurs almost similarly to hares, with the exception of the frequency of the heartbeat.

Each trait is manifested to a certain extent depending on. The difference between lagomorphs is clearly visible in their lifestyle.

Habits and character

The intensified struggle for survival in the surrounding world has left a deep imprint on the animals. They manage to exist calmly in natural conditions only thanks to their high vigilance and precautions. Constant vigilance to calculate the threat forces you to constantly be on the alert, survey the open area. A hole serves as a reliable fortress and shelter from enemies.

Digging shelters for (European common) is as important as foraging.

They build entire underground “cottages” with a system of passages and can spend all their free time there from eating and walking outside.

Maternity wards and primary nurseries for offspring are set up here.

The litter of female rabbits is numerous (from 3 to 10 pieces), so special niches are equipped for it, lined with soft dry grass, leaves and down of the mother. Rabbits are born helpless, blind and naked; they need to be warmed, wrapped and protected from pests.

The protective barrier is the marks that the female leaves at the entrance. An excessively long absence of the mother from the cubs is not allowed.

During the first weeks, little mole rats suck milk. It is significant that only the mother can feed babies. Identification of a blood relative occurs by smell. They also give reinforcements to any hungry stranger of their own breed. Once in the vicinity of a cub in need of help, they will fulfill their duty to nature.

From the moment of birth, rabbits are endowed with relative independence. House in a small hole under open air requires caution and the possibility of additional warming. They immediately have a fur coat, open eyes, a developed sense of smell and the ability to run away from danger. The hare does not risk being left without food; he can be reinforced by any female running past, and this gives a great chance of survival, even if the mother has moved far away or died.

New additions to families appear more often (3-4 times a year), and not only in the spring, like their relatives.

Thanks to their fertility, populations remain numerous even during periods of mortality due to epidemics and excess predator activity.

Rabbits live collectively, uniting in groups, they can be easily tamed and domesticated, raised in cages, hares are individual, form pairs for the mating season, and do not survive in captivity.

Behind the similarities that seem at first glance, there are many differences.

Where do rabbit families live and how do they choose their terrain?

Any representative of the fauna cares about living conditions as seriously as about food supplies. Rabbits choose habitats based on their habits and expediency. They usually settle in areas with difficult terrain. Suitable for the construction of burrow complexes:

• Hills.
• Steep banks of large rivers and seas.
• Beams with dense young growth and abandoned sand pits.
• Some species live on the slopes of volcanoes.
• There are lovers of wetlands with tussocks.
• The only species of American rabbits does not dig tunnels, but lives in open fields, making holes, like hares.
• The North Caucasian group can use dense thickets for housing.

In mountainous terrain it is easier to lay and expand holes and living chambers. But the soil must be pliable, not rocky or clayey. The entrances are quite wide (up to 25 cm in diameter) covered with canopies made of earth. At a distance of 80-90 cm, the tunnel narrows slightly. The optimal height of “rooms” is up to half a meter, sometimes less or more. To prevent the vaults from collapsing, builders calculate the location under the roots of a tree or shrub.

Family clans own a space of several hectares, depending on the richness of the grass cover. They do not move too far away from the minks and if the food runs out and is not restored, they move to new housing. Families are polygamous, but there are also monogamous males.

The correct choice of location affects the well-being, numbers, course and completion of life.

What does the diet consist of and how to solve the problem of vitamin deficiency

The main menu of rabbits is the ground part of herbaceous shoots and young shrubs. In summer they feed on greens. They go into vegetable fields. They feast on cabbage, beets, carrots, and respect lettuce leaves. Sometimes they sneak into the orchards and covet apples. In autumn they look for hot spots on grain crops.

In winter, the diet changes. If dry grass cannot be obtained from under the snow, the tips of the lower branches of cherry, apple, and willow trees are used. Lack of moisture useful substances compensated by eating morning droppings. Such caecotrophs are similar to storage chambers for concentrated vitamins.

Useful waste is covered by a mucous capsule. They contain many enzymes important for digestion, cell growth, and metabolism. Special significance they are for young animals during puberty and pregnancy.

In times of food shortages, they eat tree bark to save their lives and try to climb higher to get juicier pieces. Because of such habits, rodents are considered pests of agricultural crops.

Health and the course of life depend on feeding. In nature, it lasts up to 3 years, although the potential is for 10-12 years. Nutrition is directly related to the number of animals on one square meter, it turns out to be a vicious circle.

They are trying to regulate the number of individuals in different ways. They hunt, trap, and with the accelerated growth of the rabbit population, they use a bacteriological attack, individually spreading diseases.

What climate do eared animals like?

Are there rabbits everywhere?

Naturally, there are no food sources in the Antarctic ice, and it is impossible to dig holes in the permafrost, which means that such animals cannot be found there.

Among the known 20 species of wild rabbits studied, only one lives in Europe, and it was from this species that domestic representatives bred.

The rest are mainly settled in America, Africa, and Australia.

Wild ones, whose prevalence has increased several times over the last century, have settled in those parts of the continents where warm, mild climatic conditions prevail.

The primary range was limited to the African northwestern part, southern France, and Iberia. The glacier did not stay in these regions, and food remained.

The main requirement for the success of expanding the territory of existence is the height and consistency of snow cover throughout the winter. How less snow on the ground and the days of its continuous lying, the greater the percentage of survival of furry settlers. The borderline snow threshold is considered to be a period of 3.5 months with relatively mild weather.

The Romans and Norman conquerors introduced fur-bearing animals to the Mediterranean, Ireland and the British Isles. In the Middle Ages, they populated almost the entire European space, which pleased citizens with low and middle incomes, becoming useful prey for them.

Wild European rabbits are the ancestors of the familiar domestic rabbits. Initially, this species of the hare family lived only in the central and southern parts of Europe, but then it was successfully resettled far from its original places.

Today european rabbit lives in Australia and on nearby islands, and also inhabits some areas North Africa. This type of animal was first domesticated in ancient times, when the Roman Empire existed.

Since then, rabbits have been considered pets; they are kept both for slaughter and for decorative purposes.

The European wild rabbit is no different large sizes, it strongly resembles a hare: its body grows from 30 to 45 centimeters in length, and the weight of this animal does not exceed 2.5 kilograms. The ears of the European rabbit are slightly shorter than those of a hare, their length is no more than 7.2 centimeters, and the hind legs are not so large. The fur of representatives of the species is colored grayish-brown, but depending on the habitat, it can change to a red color. The abdominal region of the body is always light, and the tips of the tail and ears have dark markings. Like wild hares, European rabbits are subject to seasonal molting.

Any terrain is suitable for wild rabbits to live in, but these animals still try to avoid dense forest areas. The European rabbit can often be found in mountainous areas, although this animal does not climb high into the mountains. The European wild rabbit also likes spaces near populated areas: the close proximity to people does not bother it. Apparently, this is why rabbits were able to become pets without much difficulty.

Like all representatives of rabbits, European look can be active at any time of the day, but the habitat plays a big role here: if there are many dangers and enemies around, the rabbit comes out of the hole in the dark. These mammals live in burrows, which they either build themselves or are occupied by ownerless ones.

Rabbits are very prolific animals.

Rabbits are collective animals. They live in groups of 8 - 10 individuals. Each such community has its own hierarchy and rules of behavior. When going in search of food, European rabbits try not to stray far from their burrow, so that they always have the opportunity to hide from the enemy pursuing them (for example, or). The food for these animals is plant food: roots and leaves, tree bark, as well as the remains of grass under a layer of snow (in winter).

The mating season for these mammals occurs several times a year. European rabbits are highly fertile: in a year they can reproduce from two to six litters, each of which can contain from 2 to 12 babies. Do the math – it’s not that little per year, is it? Pregnancy in a female wild European rabbit lasts no more than a month, and the new generation is capable of reproducing its own offspring at the age of six months. The lifespan of this type of animal is 12–15 years, but the laws of nature are harsh, and most often these cute little animals die at the age of three.

Appearance

A small animal: body length 31-45 cm, body weight 1.3-2.5 kg. The length of the ears is less than the length of the head, 6-7.2 cm. The feet are pubescent, the claws are long and straight. The color of the upper body is usually brownish-gray, sometimes with a reddish tint. The tip of the tail is black or gray. On the back there is a noticeable dark brown streaking formed by the ends of the guard hairs. Black edges are visible at the ends of the ears; there are buffy spots on the neck behind the ears. Along the sides of the body there is a dull light stripe, ending in a wide spot in the hip area. The belly is white or light gray. The tail is brown-black above, white below. Quite often (3-5%) there are individuals of aberrant coloring - black, light gray, white, piebald. There is practically no seasonal color change. There are 44 chromosomes in a karyotype.

Rabbits shed 2 times a year. Spring molting begins in March. Females molt quickly, in about 1.5 months; In males, summer fur appears more slowly and traces of molting can be observed until summer. Autumn molt occurs in September-November.

Spreading

Initially, the rabbit's range was limited to the Iberian Peninsula and isolated areas in the south of France and northwestern Africa: it was here that these heat-loving animals survived after the last great ice age. However, thanks economic activity As humans, the rabbit settled on all continents except Asia and Antarctica. It is believed that rabbits came to the Mediterranean region with the Romans; Normans in the 12th century. brought them to England and Ireland. In the Middle Ages, the rabbit spread throughout almost all of Europe.

The determining factor for the optimal life activity of the species is the minimum number of days with snow cover per year (up to 37), as well as maximum quantity winters without stable snow cover (on average no less than 79%). If the number of days with snow cover exceeds this indicator, the rabbit population takes on a pulsating character, i.e. in mild winters, in case of overcrowding, rabbits from more southern regions move to more northern ones, where they die again in more harsh winters. The maximum possible threshold is 102 days with snow cover.

Currently, wild rabbits live in most regions of Western and Central Europe, Scandinavia, southern Ukraine, Crimea, North Africa; acclimatized in South Africa. On the islands of the Mediterranean Sea, Pacific and Atlantic oceans (in particular on the Azores, Canary Islands, Madeira Island, Hawaiian Islands), rabbits were released specifically so that they would reproduce and serve as a source of food for the crews of passing ships. Total number the number of islands where rabbits were introduced reaches 500; Thus, they live in a wild state on a number of islands of the Caspian Sea (Zhiloi, Nargen, Bullo, etc.), where they were brought in the 19th century. In the middle of the 18th century. rabbits were brought to Chile, from where they independently moved to Argentina. They came to Australia in the city and a few years later - to New Zealand. In the 1950s rabbits from the San Juan Islands (Washington State) were released in the eastern United States.

In Russia and CIS countries

Rabbits live family groups 8-10 adults. Groups have a rather complex hierarchical structure. The dominant male occupies the main burrow; the dominant female and her offspring live with him. Subordinate females live and raise offspring in separate burrows. The dominant male has an advantage during the breeding season. Most rabbits are polygamous, but some males are monogamous and stay in the territory of one specific female. Males jointly defend the colony from strangers. There is mutual assistance between the members of the colony; they notify each other of danger by striking the ground with their hind paws.

Nutrition

When feeding, rabbits do not move more than 100 m from their burrows. In this regard, their diet is not selective, and the composition of feed is determined by its availability. In winter and summer, food differs. In summer they eat the green parts of herbaceous plants; in the fields and gardens they feed on lettuce, cabbage, various root vegetables and grain crops. In winter, in addition to dry grass, underground parts of plants are often dug up. A prominent role in winter nutrition shoots and bark of trees and shrubs play. They “ring” the trunks of cherries and acacias, and in case of hunger they gnaw on the bark walnuts, try to climb trees and bushes to a height of up to 1.5 m. In situations of food shortage, they also eat their own feces (coprophagia).

Reproduction

Rabbits are very fertile. The breeding season covers most of the year. During the year, female rabbits can give birth in some cases up to 2-4 times. So, in Southern Europe, a female rabbit brings 3-5 litters of 5-6 rabbits from March to October. In the northern parts of the range, breeding continues until June-July. Out of season, pregnant females are rare. Populations introduced into the Southern Hemisphere, with favorable conditions multiply all year round. In Australia there is a break in reproduction in mid-summer when the grass burns out.

Pregnancy lasts 28-33 days. The number of rabbits in a litter is 2-12, in wild conditions usually 4-7, on industrial farms 8-10. Postpartum estrus is characteristic, when females are ready to mate again within a few hours after giving birth. The average population growth per season is 20-30 rabbits per female cat. In northern populations with less favorable climatic conditions there are no more than 20 rabbits per female; in the Southern Hemisphere - up to 40 rabbits. The number of cubs in the litter also depends on the age of the female: in females younger than 10 months, the average number of rabbits is 4.2; in adults - 5.1; From the age of 3 years, fertility decreases markedly. Up to 60% of pregnancies are not carried to term and the embryos spontaneously dissolve.

Before giving birth, the female rabbit makes a nest inside the hole, combing out the underfur from the fur on her belly for it. Rabbits, unlike hares, are born naked, blind and completely helpless; at birth they weigh 40-50 g. Their eyes open after 10 days; on the 25th day they already begin to lead an independent lifestyle, although the female continues to feed them milk until 4 weeks of life. They reach sexual maturity at the age of 5-6 months, so rabbits from early litters can already reproduce at the end of summer. However, in wild populations, young rabbits rarely begin breeding in their first year of life. In captivity, young female rabbits can bear offspring as early as 3 months. Despite high speed reproduction, due to the mortality of young animals in the wild, the profit of the population is only 10-11.5 rabbits per female. In the first 3 weeks of life, about 40% of young animals die; in the first year - up to 90%. Mortality from coccidiosis is especially high during rainy times, when water floods burrows. Only a few rabbits survive past the age of 3 years. Maximum life expectancy is 12-15 years.

Number and significance for humans

The population size of wild rabbits is subject to significant changes, in some cases it can reach abnormal levels. high level. At mass reproduction they cause harm to forestry and agriculture.

They are hunted for fur and meat. The rabbit was domesticated more than 1000 years ago. The livestock industry deals with the issues of breeding rabbits for industrial purposes - rabbit breeding, food products; used for experiments in genetics. Rabbits can also be kept as pets.

Rabbits as pests

In some areas, rabbits, in the absence of natural predators, cause great harm by eating vegetation, damaging crops and spoiling land with their burrows. So, on some islands of the Pacific Ocean, rabbits ate vegetation, which caused soil erosion and destruction coastal zone where seabirds nested.

However, the greatest damage was caused by the spread of rabbits to Australia, where they were introduced in the 18th century. In 1859, settler Tom Austin, who lived in the state of Victoria, released 24 rabbits into the wild, they multiplied, and by 1900 their number in Australia was already estimated at 20 million. Rabbits eat grass, providing food competition to sheep and cattle. They cause even greater damage to the native fauna and flora of Australia, eating relict vegetation and displacing local species that cannot compete with quickly breeding rabbits. Shooting and poisoned baits are used as measures to combat rabbits; In addition, European predators were brought to Australia - fox, ferret, ermine, weasel. In places in Australia, mesh fences are being installed to prevent rabbits from colonizing new areas. The most successful way to combat these pests was the “bacteriological war” of the 1950s, when they tried to infect rabbits with an acute viral disease - myxomatosis, endemic to South America. The initial effect was very large, in many areas of Australia up to 90% of all rabbits became extinct. The surviving individuals developed immunity. The rabbit problem is still acute in Australia and

Their body length is only 35-45 cm, tail 4-7 cm, ears 6-7 cm, and their average weight is 1.3-2.2 kilograms. The color of the upper body is formed by mixing fur hairs dyed light brown and black. The fur on the back is grayish-brown and dim in color. The tail is two-colored: black-brown above, white below. The belly of wild rabbits and the underside of their paws are reddish-white. The hind legs are quite long. The feet are well furred, the claws are straight and long.

Wild rabbits are widespread in the Middle and Western Europe and North Africa. They also acclimatized in Southern and North America, Australia, New Zealand, on many islands and even in sub-Antarctic areas.

For settlement, European rabbits prefer bushy areas with rugged terrain. These are ravines, ravines, abandoned quarries, steep banks of estuaries and seas. They are less common in gardens, forest belts, and parks. The nature of the soil suitable for digging is important for wild rabbits. Animals prefer to settle on the lungs sandy soils and avoid clayey, dense or rocky areas.

Wild rabbits are sedentary. They occupy territories of 0.5-20 hectares, which are marked with an odorous secretion from the skin glands. There is mutual assistance between members of the colonies; By knocking their hind paws on the ground, they notify their neighbors of danger. Unlike hares, wild rabbits dig complex, deep burrows in which they spend most of their lives. There are two types of burrows: simple - at a depth of 30-60 cm, with 1-3 exits and a nesting chamber; and complex - at a depth of up to 2.5-3 m, with 4-8 exits and a length of up to 45 m.

The animals usually do not stray far from their burrows and feed in adjacent areas, hiding in the burrows at the slightest danger. Wild rabbits leave inhabited burrows only when the vegetation near the burrow is severely degraded or when it is destroyed. Rabbits do not run too fast (20-25 km/h), but very nimble. Therefore, it is quite difficult to catch an adult rabbit.

Wild rabbits feed on grass and juicy soft parts of other plants, and when there is a lack of food, they eat the bark of trees and branches of bushes. In winter and summer, animals eat differently. In summer they feed on green parts of herbaceous plants, cabbage, various root vegetables and grain crops. In winter, in addition to dry grass, underground parts of plants are often pulled out and the bark of bushes and trees is gnawed. In situations of complete food shortage, they even eat their own feces.

Rabbits reproduce very quickly. At the age of less than a year, young individuals become sexually mature. Female rabbits bring 3-4 litters per year, each containing 3-7 young rabbits. Rabbits in southern Western European countries are somewhat more fertile (3-5 litters of 5-6 rabbits), and in Australia and New Zealand they reproduce even faster. Before giving birth, female rabbits make a nest inside the burrow. For bedding, they use combed out underfur from the fur on their own belly. Unlike hares, rabbits are born blind, naked and completely helpless, and weigh only 40-50 grams. After 10 days their eyes open. on the 25th day, babies begin to lead an independent life, although the mother continues to feed them milk until almost one month of age.

Despite the rapidity of reproduction, in the wild there is a very high mortality rate of young animals. During the first three weeks of life, almost 40% of young animals die, and in the first year about 90%. Mortality is especially high from coccidiosis and when burrows are flooded in rainy times. The maximum lifespan of wild rabbits is 12-15 years.

In Europe, rabbits are considered an object of hunting (the meat of these animals is used for food) and agricultural pests.

The European or wild rabbit (from the Latin Oryctolagus cuniculus) [animal kingdom > phylum chordates > class mammals > infraclass placentals > order lagomorphs > family lagomorphs] is a mammal, a representative of the genus of rabbits, which is of Southern European origin. This particular species of rabbit is the only one that was domesticated on a large scale and is the predecessor of the entire modern variety of rabbit breeds. But there is also bad experience domestication of the wild rabbit, for example, when they tried to domesticate it in the original ecosystem of Australia, this led to an environmental disaster. The wild rabbit was domesticated during the Roman Empire, and is still a game animal raised for meat and fur.

Externally, a wild rabbit is a small animal that is similar to a hare, but only smaller in size. The body length of representatives of this species of rabbits ranges from 31 to 45 cm. Body weight can reach 1.3-2.5 kg. The length of the ears is 6-7.2 cm. The hind legs are quite small, compared to other types of hares.

The body color of a wild rabbit is brownish-gray, slightly reddish in some parts. The tips of the ears and tail are always darkish in color, while the belly, on the contrary, is white or light gray. Shedding in wild rabbits occurs quite quickly but is not very noticeable; spring shedding lasts from mid-March to the end of May, and autumn shedding lasts from September to November.

The habitat of wild rabbits is quite wide, the largest population is concentrated in the countries of Central, Southern Europe and North Africa. There have been attempts to acclimatize the wild rabbit in North and South America, as well as Australia; it cannot be said that they were successful, but even today representatives of this species of rabbit can be found in these parts of the world.

The habitat of wild rabbits also varies considerably, they can live in almost all types of terrain (although they avoid dense forests),
absolutely not afraid of approaching settlements and can live even in mountainous regions (but do not rise above 600 m above sea level).

The daily activity of a wild rabbit depends on the degree of danger to which it is exposed - the safer it feels, the more active it is during the day. The habitat area that would be sufficient for a wild rabbit is limited to 0.5-20 hectares. Unlike other species of hares, they dig quite large and deep burrows (the largest of them can reach 45 m in length, 2-3 m in depth and have 4-8 exits). And another difference between the wild rabbit and other species is that they do not lead a solitary lifestyle, but live in families that consist of 8-10 individuals. There is a complex hierarchical structure throughout the life of wild rabbits.

In search of food, wild rabbits do not move more than 100 m from their burrows, so their diet cannot be called too varied. In summer, it is dominated by leaves and roots of herbaceous plants, and in winter - by the bark and branches of trees, the remains of plants that they dig out from under the snow.

Wild rabbits breed quite often - 2-6 times, each time the hare brings 2-12 rabbits. Pregnancy takes 28-33 days, i.e. the female brings 20-30 rabbits per year. At birth, the baby rabbits weigh only 40-50 g, are not covered in fur at all and are blind. Their eyes open only on the 10th day of life, and on the 25th day they can already feed on their own, although the female does not stop feeding them milk for the first four weeks. They reach sexual maturity at 5-6 months. The maximum lifespan of wild rabbits is 12-15 years, although most do not live past three years.