Rabbit
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- This is an article about the species. For topics that share the name, see Rabbit (disambiguation)
A rabbit, also known as Lapin or Lapine in European French, Usagi in Japanese, and also as Coney in European English, deriving from the Latin Cuniculus, colloquially as Bunny or Bunneh, is a small mammal in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are eight different genera in the family, and they physically characterized by their long hind legs, long ears, large front teeth, and a very short, fluffy tail, called a scut or bobtail.
Terminology
Male rabbits are called bucks; females are called does. An older term for an adult rabbit is a coney and a young rabbit is a kitten or kit. Another term for a young rabbit is a bunny, though this term is often applied informally (especially by children) to rabbits generally, especially domestic ones. A young hare is called a leveret; this term is sometimes informally applied to a young rabbit as well.
A group of rabbits is known as a colony, or nest (and occasionally a warren, though this more commonly refers to where the rabbits live). A group of young rabbits with the same parentage is referred to as a litter, and a group of domestic rabbits is sometimes called a herd.
Rabbits in mainstream
Similarly to dogs and pigs, the rabbit (particularly the non-domesticated rabbit) is notable for breeding excessively, as evidenced in a typical rabbit colony's high fertility rate, thus giving rise to the phrases 'breeding like rabbits' and 'rabbits are good at multiplying'. For this reason, the rabbit is often used as a symbol of fertility[citation needed], but is also regarded as a pest by some farmers, especially in Australia.
The rabbit is widely predated, and this role as a prey animal also lends it an air of innocence.[citation needed]
See also
- Rabbit on Wikipedia
- List of fictional rabbits on Wikipedia
- Rabbit characters
External links
- 39 Most Famous Bunnies of All Time article on 24/7 Wall St. (#35: Cutey Bunny, only furry character to make it on the list)
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