Rabbit

Common Name: Feral Rabbit / European Rabbit

Family Name: Leporidae

Scientific Name: Oryctolagus Cuniculus

Status: Introduced, Not Protected

Average Size: 40cm long, 1.7kg

Average Lifespan: 4 years

Litter: 5

Gestation: 28 to 30 days

Weaned: 5 to 8 weeks

Background: England, introduced 24 wild rabbits in 1859, released on the property of Thomas Austin near Geelong, Victoria

Breeding: Polyandry mating system, can produce 5 to 6 litters per year.

Impacts: Feral rabbits compete with native wildlife, damage vegetation and degrade farmland and their warrens cause trip hazards for livestock, in particular, thoroughbred horses. Rabbits consistently ringbark trees and shrubs, and prevent regeneration by eating seeds and seedlings. Rabbits may have caused the extinction of several small (up to 5.5kg) ground-dwelling mammals of Australia’s arid lands, and have contributed to the decline in numbers of many native plants and animals.

Rabbits and hares are two different species of mammals within the leporidae family, though they're often confused due to their similar appearances. Hares are generally larger, have longer legs and ears, and are not burrowers like rabbits