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Rabbits vary in size, with females being larger. They can range from 29.5 cm to 75 cm in length and weigh between 0.46 kg and 5 kg.
Rabbits are widely distributed, with significant populations in North America, Southeast Asia, Japan, South America, Africa, and parts of Europe.
Rabbits of the Leporidae family thrive in diverse habitats like polar, tropical, and temperate zones, including meadows, forests, wetlands, and deserts. Some species, like Marsh rabbits, are semi-aquatic and skilled swimmers.
Herbivorous rabbits graze on vegetation, weeds, and grasses, eating voraciously at first and becoming choosier later. They graze for long hours, excreting continuously to maximize food intake.
Rabbits sleep 8.5 hrs/day, active at dawn and dusk. Herbivorous, hide in burrows, territorial, hierarchical, rely on eyesight.
Rabbits mate year-round, with a breeding season of 9 months. Mating occurs from February to October globally, and July to January in Australia and New Zealand.
Rabbit courtship involves following, licking, and sniffing. Gestation lasts 30-40 days, and does may experience hair loss during this period.
Wild rabbits have a maximum lifespan of 10-13 years, but factors like food and pollution can result in some dying within a year.
Rabbits face a variety of predators in the wild, including hawks, owls, eagles, canids, falcons, felids, mustelids, and ground squirrels.
Rabbits are susceptible to diseases like Escherichia coli and Bordetella bronchiseptica, some of which can be contagious to humans. However, rabbits have never been found to be infected with rabies.