Index

Description

The Rabbit, a species of the lagomorphs (Lagomorpha) is a relatively recent domestic animal. It was domesticated only in the early Middle Ages. Despite this short period of time it has a notable Variety; rabbits are among the most modified domestic animals period. It is also a widely usable animal. The principal role of rabbits is meat production. In terms of quality Rabbit meat is superior to any other meat and is further valued for ist easy digestibility. Apart from that Rabbit fur is an important raw material, which is used in many hat, textile, leather and fur industries for many products. Angora wool of rabbits is also an important textile material, which keeps much warmer than sheep wool.

General and History

The Rabbit, a species of the lagomorphs (Lagomorpha) is a relatively recent domestic animal. It was domesticated only in the early Middle Ages. Despite this short period of time it has a notable Variety; rabbits are among the most modified domestic animals period. It is also a widely usable animal. The principal role of rabbits is meat production. In terms of quality Rabbit meat is superior to any other meat and is further valued for ist easy digestibility. Apart from that Rabbit fur is an important raw material, which is used in many hat, textile, leather and fur industries for many products. Angora wool of rabbits is also an important textile material, which keeps much warmer than sheep wool.

Distribution in the past and today

The European wild Rabbit is the stem type of the domestic Rabbit. It came to use over Iberia and Northern Africa. The Grey and White Viennese Rabbit are considered to be the only autochthonous Rabbit breeds of Austria. The Grigio of Carmagnola is the only Italian Rabbit breed related to the Alps. Four autochthonous Rabbit breeds are known in Switzerland: Schweizer Feh, Dreifarbige Kleinschecke, Schweizer Schecken and Schweizer Fuchs.