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Ten things you didn't know about rabbits
Topic Started: 13th July 2007 - 10:26 PM (99 Views)
Nige
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Resident Carpenter

rabbits
Location :- Hull

Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat!

Don't let your mind wander - it's too little to be let out alone!
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hawkeye
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CROW & FOX Killer BUT scared SHITLESS of DAREBEAR

link not working *aaaa*
MIKE

Hawkeye the noooooooooooo



CLICK TO WATCH

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pigeon640
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hawkeye
Jul 13 2007, 09:27 PM
link not working *aaaa*

*stupid* *stupid*
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Nige
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Sorry - here's the article -


1. Few people know that the name "Spain" comes from the Latin "Hispania", a denomination originated in the Phoenician language spoken in Carthage and meaning "the Land of the Rabbits". Indeed, rabbits originated in the Iberian Peninsula (nowadays Spain and Portugal), Balearic Islands and northwestern Africa (Moroccos and northern Algeria). When they reached 3,500 years ago the Iberian peninsula, the Phoenician (coming from the modern Lebanon) were impressed by the huge number of rabbits.

2. It seems that rabbits were first domesticated in southern Spain 2,500 years ago, and the oldest rabbit representation was found on a clay pot from Alicante (southeastern Spain). The rabbit is represented grazing peacefully at the feet of a horse.

3. The Romans were great consumers of rabbit meat and they spread the animal in the entire Mediterranean area. They were great specialists in rabbit cooking.

4. The Bible sees the rabbit as one of the impure animals, forbidden to human consumption. Muslims too are forbidden to eat rabbit, that's why they are not hunted in the Islamic countries.

5. In the medieval witchcraft, rabbit legs played a crucial role. Even the love elixirs were mixed with rabbit legs, believed to have the miraculous
power of cancelling the influence of any evil, magic circles and so on. In other times, students erased their tablets with rabbit legs or tails, from the same belief in their magic powers.

6. The longest ears for a domestic breed of rabbits have 45 cm (1.5 ft)! The largest rabbit breed is the German Gray Giant: over 23 lb (more than 10 kg). The smallest (and perhaps the cutest) is the Dutch Dwarf: 1-3 lb (0.5-1.4 kg).

7. In many languages, there is an expression "breed like rabbits". A female delivers 30 offspring annually. Till the end of the year, its "daughters" may have produced 1-2 litters so that just one female can deliver 60 new individuals yearly.

8. The offspring of 5 rabbits in one year can deliver as much meat as a cattle. Rabbits can be eaten when they are 1.5-2 months old. But 10 rabbits eat as much as a sheep, and a sheep delivers three times more meat! The country with the highest consume of rabbit meat per capita is France (7 kg (18 pounds) annually).

9. Rabbit's tail is a sexual character, and during sexual display, the male makes all the possible to present it to the female.

10. In 1859, the first rabbits were colonized in Australia. Soon after, when one man shot a rabbit, he received a scorching penalty. In less than thirty years, the whole Australia was invaded by rabbits. They provoked an environmental disaster, competing with local marsupial fauna for food and resources; besides, great damages were induced to sheep husbandry. In 1953, there were about 500 million rabbits in Australia. Later, a virus provoking myxomatosis has been introduced (other methods did not work) and their population dropped to 20 %, but they are still a problem in Australia.
Location :- Hull

Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat!

Don't let your mind wander - it's too little to be let out alone!
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Danger Mouse
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very good.. :)
Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares? ....... He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!

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monkey hanger
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here is a section cut and pasted from my "rabbit bible"

2. Ecology of rabbits
2.1 Historical origin
Rabbits were introduced to Britain by the Normans, around the 12th or 13th century. At that stage they were not technically wild but were initially confined to managed warrens, primarily on islands and in coastal areas. The trade in rabbit meat was well established by the 14th century and reached its peak around 1800 (Sheail 1971). However, the economic value of the species had declined by the mid-
19th century, and measures were begun to control rabbits to reduce agricultural damage.

Rabbits were widespread in Britain by the 16th century although their spread in Scotland was more gradual. While apparently abundant around Edinburgh at this time, they were otherwise primarily restricted to a few islands and coastal habitats, where they often constituted the main source of income. They were rarely recorded north of the Tay and Clyde valleys. The spread of rabbits throughout Scotland is largely attributed to introductions throughout the Highlands in the 18th and 19th centuries, aided by improved agricultural practices.

The most marked reduction in rabbit populations in modem times came as a result of the myxomatosis virus. This began in Edenbridge, Kent, in October 1953 and is believed to have come from populations in France, possibly introduced by farmers as an efficient form of pest control (Tapper 1992). The first wave of this disease killed 99% of all rabbits infected. Although this disease is still encountered in British populations, rabbits have developed an immunity and genetic resistance is now well-established. Less virulent strains of the virus have also arisen, with attenuation of the viral strain first being noticed in 1955.

2.2 The role of rabbits The rabbit is a keystone species for the maintenance of many habitats, for example chalk downs in southern England and Machair. They are an also important source of prey for many predatory species, for example buzzards Buteo buteo, foxes Vulpes vulpes and some mustelids. It is a highly successful species, is generally resistant to disease and parasites, is adaptable under adverse conditions and has a high reproductive potential (Thompson 1994). It is now estimated that there are 37.5 million rabbits in Britain of which there are 9.5 million in Scotland (Harris et al. 1995).

2.3 Habitat
Rabbits are typically found in short "grass habitats on machairs, dry heaths and agricultural land. They are able to graze these areas closer to the ground than sheep and are well-known catholic feeders which produce the so-called 'disclimax community' of open grassland. Rabbits graze these areas all the year round but the impacts are most severe in the winter. As a consequence of its feeding habits, the species is considered to inflict more damage to agricultural crops than any other pest species in Great Britain (Trout et al 1992).

2.4 Feeding behaviour
Foraging behaviour is mainly crepuscular (i.e. active morning and evening) although animals may be seen grazing close to burrows in undisturbed areas during the day. Rabbits eat a wide variety of plant species but favour young succulent leaves and shoots and more nutritious species such as the Festuca grasses. The role of rabbits as agricultural pests due to their feeding behaviour was well known prior to the 1950s, but the extent to which they influenced other species and habitats was recognised only when myxomatosis reduced the population in the mid-late 1950s (Thompson 1994).

2.5 Reproduction
One of the main reasons for the success of this species is its reproductive potential. The breeding season is mainly from January to June with sporadic breeding continuing up to August. A succession of litters may be produced at minimum intervals of 30 days, with an average litter size of between 3 and 7 young. The rabbit is an induced ovulator and postpartum conception is normal, with females usually pregnant again within 24 hours of the previous birth. However, subordinate females are usually less successful and have a shorter breeding season and higher rate of loss of embryos than older, dominant individuals.

cheers MH

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