From Peter Cottontail to Brer Rabbit, the Easter Bunny to Winnie the Pooh’s friend, Rabbit and of course Bugs Bunny, we have all grown up familiar with this small mammal. They have become domesticated to a point, but still live abundantly in the wild. The rabbit has many traits that make it hard to ignore. From the way they hop, to the floppy ears, these creatures have won a place in many hearts. Why are rabbits so often used as characters in books, cartoons and movies? What are these intriguing creatures and where do they come from?

Rabbits are lagomorphs like hares and pika. Most people think they are rodents but there is one biological difference between a rodent and a lagomorph. The number of teeth. A rodent like a rat has two incisors on top and a rabbit has four, two on top and two on the bottom. The incisors are the front teeth in mammals used to cut the food. Both groups of animals have molar teeth for chewing. Unlike most mammals, lagomorphs and rodents have open rooted incisors. This lets the teeth continue growing their entire life. Chewing on a variety of rough foods helps grind the teeth down as fast as they grow. 

Rabbits live all over the world, and there are many different breeds. The smallest rabbit in the world is the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit. This small ball of fur grows to about the size of a softball. It weighs in at about one pound and has feet about the size of a penny. It lives in the state of Washington. Although scientists are working hard to save it, this rabbit is highly endangered. The largest rabbit breed is the Flemish Giant. A Flemish Giant rabbit named Darius holds the Guinness record as the largest known rabbit.  He weighed 49 pounds and was 4 feet 3 inches long. He first won that title in 2010 and no other rabbit has beat his record, but no one knows where he is. He was stolen from his owner in 2019. There are some breeds that have been domesticated and make excellent pets, like the lop eared rabbits, the lion head and the Netherland Dwarf.

Although many rabbits are bred for domestication they are primarily a wild breed of animal. Because of this, the rabbit has over time developed behavioral and physical adaptations to help it survive. The rabbit's fur serves several purposes. First, the fur provides camouflage. Many times their fur will change colors to blend in better during different seasons. Rabbits have hair on their feet as well. This keeps their feet cooler during the summer and warm during the winter. A rabbit’s  ears are one of this little animal’s superpowers. The ears help them regulate body temperature. This is called thermoregulation. Rabbits can also hear sounds up to a mile away. Another adaptation that is a superpower, is a rabbit’s ability to run (hop) at speeds up to 45 miles an hour when trying to escape from  a predator. 

Most rabbits live in burrows. A burrow is a series of connecting tunnels called warrens. Rabbits sometimes live in communities where the warrens from one burrow connect to another burrow. A kind of rabbit apartment complex. A burrow will have more than one entrance so they can escape if they need to. Rabbits are excellent hole diggers and a burrow can contain tunnels hundreds of feet long. The average burrow is about two and a half feet deep. Inside the burrow is where the rabbits build their nests to have their babies. The cottontail rabbit does not burrow. It is like its cousin the hare and builds its nest in a protected area where it digs a depression in the ground. Nests are made of grasses, twigs and fur.