Rabbit Facts

Hopping into surprising facts about rabbits — more complex than your average fluffy pet.

Rabbits belong to the order Lagomorpha — not rodents, though they were historically classified as such until the early 20th century. The approximately 30 wild rabbit and hare species are found on every continent except Antarctica, occupying habitats from Arctic tundra to tropical forest. Rabbit digestion is unusually complex: rabbits practice caecotrophy — the consumption of specialised soft faecal pellets called caecotrophs directly from the anus — which allows them to extract additional nutrients from plant cellulose through a second pass through the digestive system. This process is distinct from coprophagy and is a normal, essential part of rabbit nutrition. A rabbit's digestive system requires continuous movement; a rabbit that stops eating for more than a few hours is in medical danger.

Wild rabbits are crepuscular — most active at dawn and dusk — and live in warrens, complex underground burrow systems that can be occupied by the same family group across multiple generations. Rabbits communicate danger by thumping the ground with their hind legs, a vibration signal that travels through the soil and alerts other members of the group.