Rabbit

Generality

The rabbit (European) is a mammalian animal of the Lagomorph or Duplicindentati * order, family Leporidae, Genus Oryctolagus and Species cuniculus; the American one, however, although similar, belongs to the Genus Sylvilagus.
* Duplicate or lagomorphs (of which the rabbit is a part) are characterized by a rather peculiar set of teeth; in the upper arch, near the incisors, a further pair of small retro-incisors emerge (useful for cutting grass and bark), while the canines are ALWAYS absent. The dental structure of the rabbit includes:

• Upper fascia: 4 incisors, no canines, 6 premolars and 6 molars
• Lower fascia: 2 incisors, no canines, 4 premolars and 6 molars.

The upper lip of the rabbit is divided vertically into two portions (hence the name of the human anatomical defect called cleft lip). The ears are quite developed and vascularized, therefore useful for the dispersion of excess heat. The limbs have 5 claw fingers (retractable) and are provided with pads. The tail is short and on the belly it has 6 breasts in two parallel rows.
The rabbit has excellent eyesight (even twilight), excellent hearing and good sense of smell.
The European rabbit, of which the following article will deal, is a creature widely diffused in the wild and bred in captivity, both for its meat (white) and for its fur and fur. It is herbivorous (it feeds on grass, hay, bark, etc.) with habits coprophages (cecotrophages) * and very voracious; all rabbit breeds are extremely prolific and use a rather rapid growth process (which is why it is particularly suitable for breeding).
* Rabbit coprophagia towards soft faeces (blind, NOT the hard ones) constitutes anything but a hygienically questionable habit; reusing its own soft faeces from the "cecum", the rabbit puts in place a sort of "external cycle rumination" which allows it to recover most of the previously digested but not absorbed nutrients and many vitamins elaborated by its own bacterial flora.
The European rabbit can be further divided into wild rabbit and domestic rabbit, both creatures found on the Italian peninsula.

Wild rabbit

The wild rabbit probably has Spanish origins or north-western Africa. It was imported to Great Britain and Germany by the legionaries of the Roman Empire, who consumed its meat frequently.

Later it reached the rest of Europe, Asia, America, Australia, etc. It was then domesticated by the French, when the selection of the various breeds of domestic rabbit probably began. In Italy, the wild rabbit is almost ubiquitous with greater population density near two main major islands (Sicily and Sardinia) and on those It colonizes mainly the territories with a warm, dry climate (almost arid) and with soils in which to dig their burrows (it is not uncommon that it also chooses rocky ravines); it is also very present in the woods of trees and hedges, in the embankments, etc. The wild rabbit reproduces all year round, with greater frequency between February and October; the gestation (of 4-15 cubs) lasts about 30 days and the births carried out in the year (from 4 to 7) take place in burrows, on beds of leaves, straw and hair. The cubs are hairless and blind, unlike the hare that relieves an offspring already developed and able to move independently. The young of wild rabbits leave the den only after about 20 days and wean at 4 weeks; at 4 months they are sexually mature. It can live up to 15 years and is active mainly at night, at dawn and dusk, while during the day it remains hidden in the den or inside the bushes.
The wild rabbit reaches a total length of 35-45cm, the ears are about 6-8cm and the weight is between 1-1.5 and 2kg. The dentition includes 28 teeth and the coloring is almost totally gray-tawny; the lower parts are lighter, almost white, and the tip of the tail is black.

Domestic rabbit

As anticipated, the domestic rabbit is bred mainly for its meat, fur and fur, but has recently found ample space as a companion animal (especially in dwarf forms). The domestic rabbit has been selected in many different species for: shape, color and size. NB.

The largest domestic rabbits reach 8kg in weight and the most "massive" varieties are: Aries, Giant, White Giant and Spotted Giant.
The most common breeds of domestic rabbit for breeding intended for slaughter (therefore for human consumption) are the New Zealand white and the California, pure or crossed with the Burgundy fawn, the Vienna Blue, the Champagne Silver. and the White Giant.
Currently, the breeding of domestic rabbits intended purely for the production of fur is quite obsolete, while in the past it was more widespread; it was used essentially for the production of: jackets, coats, hats and gloves. NB: The domestic rabbits most used for this purpose purpose are: the Rex (fur of lapin), the Angora (also used for high fashion garments), the Saint and the Fox.
Domestic cross-bred rabbits (frequently found at home or on small farms) are more resistant to disease than pure lines of origin.

For the nutritional properties of rabbit meat, we refer the reader to this article.

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