Unlike what is believed, rabbits are not rodents, but are lagomorphic mammals of the Leporidae family, made up of various species including the hare. They are widely distributed throughout the world, except in certain oceanic islands and Antarctica, with the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) being the species with the greatest geographic range. Their two long ears make them unmistakable and they have robust hind limbs that help them move by jumping. Their senses are developed, especially hearing and smell, which makes it easier for them to escape from predators in their natural habitats.
However, have you ever wondered how rabbits see? If you want to know more about these animals, continue reading this article on our site and we will tell you about the way rabbits see and other characteristics.
Characteristics of rabbits
In addition to its long ears and legs, the rabbit is often characterized by the following:
Physical characteristics of the rabbit
Rabbits are animals whose most striking characteristic is their way of moving, since, as we mentioned, their hind legs are long and are used to make big jumps, and its forelimbs are thinner. These serve to flee from their predators, since thanks to them they make sudden changes in direction.
The head is characterized by two long ears, and what characterizes the order Lagomorpha is that they have two rows of incisors, unlike rodents that only have one (order Rodentia).
Females are usually larger than males, weighing between 2 and 8 kg in some giant breeds, up to about 80 cm.
Types of rabbits
Currently, there are about 50 species of rabbits distributed in 11 genera, but only the common or European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been domesticated, and whose breeds have been modified taking into account characteristics such as hair color and length or if they are species for trade or exhibition.
In this other article you can learn about the breeds of rabbits and their characteristics.
Rabbit Habitat
They inhabit from forests to thickets with abundant vegetation that allows them to have shelter and hide. They prefer terrain with looser soil to be able to dig their burrows. Although its habitat has been reduced since ancient times, it was able to adapt to human presence and today it can be seen in parks, gardens and even cemeteries. In other words, the rabbit's habitat is related to its survival and feeding. For more information, see What do rabbits eat?
The rabbit's vision
Although there is not much research on the matter, it is known that the sight of rabbits is not the most highly developed sense of rabbits, but they have binocular vision of almost 360 degrees, with a blind spot as its eyes are lateral and not frontal like other animals. At short distances, their vision is limited, but they can detect movement at a long distance. Also, their visual sensitivity is high, that is, their ability to see in low light, since in the dark they can see 10 times more than a human, and this is why they have crepuscular and nocturnal habits in nature.
On the other hand, they are able to differentiate few colors, more specifically, blue and green In addition, with the passing of years, they lose visual capacity and it is common for them to present cataracts. On the other hand, they have a third semi-transparent eyelid that prevents the entry of dirt, sand, debris and prevents injuries during the fights of the males during the mating season.
If you live with a rabbit, you may have noticed that, sometimes, its behavior is closely related to both sounds and what it sees. If you want to know more, don't miss this other article on our site about Rabbit Behavior.
Rabbit curiosities
Do you want to know more about these fantastic animals? Next, we leave you a list with curiosities about rabbits:
- They are lagomorphs, not rodents: Rabbits have often been confused with rodents, but as we mentioned earlier, they are part of another order, the Lagomorpha, and their diet is made up of vegetable foods with a high amount of fiber.
- Their teeth never stop growing: Their teeth grow continuously, so they must be gnawing on branches or other objects.
- Two rows of incisors: have two rows of incisors and the additional ones are round, small and located directly behind the upper incisors.
- They are strategists R: that is, their reproductive cycle is short and they give birth to many offspring. In fact, rabbits can breed at any time of the year. For this reason, they have become pests in some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand. For more information, you can consult this other article on How are rabbits born?
- They are gregarious animals: they are social animals that live in burrows, they are very territorial and among the males there is a marked dominance that marks the priority when it comes to mating.
- They eat their feces: Rabbits, like many other species, are coprophagous, meaning they can eat their droppings, since they contain vitamin B and nitrogen. They have double digestion, similar to ruminants.
- They never get enough: They have a fairly large stomach that never empties completely. They have a large cecum (a portion of the intestine equivalent to our appendix, but which in these animals performs a digestive function) where the fermentation of products that are difficult to digest occurs.
If you liked these curiosities, don't miss this other article on our site about 10 things you didn't know about rabbits.
