by Kayleigh
I love bunnies.
Here are some bunnie facts that you might just want to know in future references. . . . . .
To get to know your bunny you need to know a tiny bit of his long history, in other words his family background, and to do that you need to take a tiny detour into a short science lesson.
The fossil record of leporids encompass the approximately 50 types of rabbits/bunnies and also hares make up the family Leporidae that together with the Pika comprise the order of lagomorphs of which your pet bunny/rabbit is a member. The lagomorphs lengthen to the middle Eocene epoch, a period of geologic time close to the middle of the Tertiary Era about 45 million years ago. It is interesting to note that the Eocene Epoch marks the time when modern animals first begin to show upon the earth's surface. Animals related to your bunny reach all the way back to tge Paleocene Epoch exactly 64 million years ago and to staring of the Tertiary Era. So your bunny's ancestors have been around for a extremely long time. Only two families of rabbits/bunnies have survived to be passed down to the present time we live in, the Leporidae which includes hares and rabbit/bunnies and the Ochotonidae, of wich only only the Pika remains. A Pika is a hearty little mammal that makes its home in rock piles high in the mountains of western North America and Asia where they probably originated. They are about the size of a large hamster and are sometimes called a “Coney," "little chief” hare, or Rock Rabbit, even though they do not look much like a rabbit. Pikas have stocky bodies, short legs, and are almost tailless. A distinct grayish patch on the shoulder and neck forms the northern pika’s "collar," appearing in definite contrast to the white fur on its chest and stomach. Pikas have fur-covered feet, but bare toe pads. Their sharp, curved claws help them climb from rock to rock with ease. Pikas are highly alert, possessing excellent hearing and vision. When fully grown, they weigh about 5 ounces.Lagomorphs were originally classified as rodents and it was not until 1912, that the distinction was made between Lagomorphs and Rodentia (rodents). Lagomorphs are different from rodent-like mammals because they have a second set of incisors, known as "peg" teeth, directly behind their front upper incisors. Compared to rodents, there are relatively few Lagomorph species and no one really knows why. Most likely, Lagomorphs branched away from rodents very slowly in early geological time as they developed the bounding locomotion we witness in modern rabbits today. The family of Leporidae (rabbits and hares) is designed for speed to evade predators. Their long hind legs are adapted for bounding speed which is a characteristic not shared with rodents. Lagomorphs, and more specifically Leporidae, are known for their large ears and acute hearing. Your bunny has evolved the ability to rotate and move his ears with great precision to better sense and locate danger before it can get too close. This characteristic plus his bounding speed probably has a lot to do with the reason his family was able to survive over the millions of years to be alive today. It is the survival instinct of these animals to escape danger first and then ask questions later. The family Leporidae consists of 11 genera (Genus) and around 54 species all commonly known as hares and rabbits.
The
genus Lepus includes Hares and the common Jackrabbit. Hares are generally
larger then rabbits. They have longer black tipped ears, and live solitary
lives. Hares are born with their eyes open, hair covering their bodies,
and they can run within a few minutes of birth. Rabbits, on the other
hand, are born blind, naked, and remain in a fur-lined nest for the first days
of their lives.
The family Leporidae varies considerably in their locomotion. Some are accomplished leapers and bounders and avoid danger by outdistancing their predators. Jackrabbits that belong to the Genus Lepus have been timed at speeds of 70 km per hour or about 45 miles per hour. Other members of the family Leporidae are scamperers. They rely on hiding rather than speed to avoid being eaten.
The genetics controlling the fur of these
animals incorporates wierd patterns of coloration for camouflage that when mixed
with their extreme speed enhances their chances for living. It has been
this pallet of genetically controlled colors that breeders have used to create
the display of beautiful colors and patterns in today’s domestic rabbits.
Female Leporids are generally bigger than the boys, a condition that is not
common in the animal world. The habitat of Leporids includes forests,
grasslands, and tundra. They feed on plants and are not known to store
food. Leporids are prized for their fur, meat, recreational hunting and as
pets.
As I have mentioned, the family Leporidae consists of 11 genera and around 54 species. Of the 11 Genera, we have mentioned only one, the Lepus common to hares and Jackrabbits. Another is the Oryctolagus or European rabbit; this is the genera that your bunny belongs to. The cottontail rabbit belongs to the genera Sylvilagus. The cottontail rabbit is very common in Montana and is the bunny we see so often bounding along the road side or in the fields and open grass lands and perhaps near your own home.
Of the remaining other 8 genera, most of these rabbits are in decline or are counted as endangered species due mostly to the loss of their select habitat. Only the Oryctolagus is not in danger and is found in the wild across most of Europe. Due mostly to domestication, this rabbit has now been spread across the entire world. Your bunny belongs to this genus as do virtually all of the other domesticated rabbits that are raised in captivity. This may seem strange when you study the list of some 54 ARBA (American Rabbit Breeders Association) recognized rabbit breeds. But with few if any exceptions, they all owe their origin to Oryctolagus. The large numbers of breeds that often look so different from each other are the sole product of human intervention that has capitalized on genetic mutations and careful cross breeding to develop the current breeds, Each individual kind having particular distinguishing characteristics including their meat, behavior, fur color, fur length, fur texture, body form and head shape.
I got this information at http://www.verlannahill.com/BunnyFacts2.htm
You have now reached the end of this passage about bunnies. If you would like to learn more about bunnies here are some other web sights that you can visit to get more information about bunnies or in other words rabbits
http://www.smileypets.com/RabbitInformation.htm?gclid=CP-wlZuCgZMCFROLggodlmasGQ
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/pets/rabbit.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_rabbit
