European rabbit, common rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) Description A male and female European rabbit
Source A history of British mammals (1910) Volume: v. 2; pt. 3 http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/14969
Date 1910
Author Book by Gerald Edwin Hamilton Barrett-Hamilton (1871-1914); photograph by G. D. Croker
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rabbitdimorphism.png
The European rabbit or common rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a species of rabbit native to southwestern Europe (Spain and Portugal) and northwest Africa (Morocco and Algeria). It has been widely introduced elsewhere, often with devastating effects on local biodiversity. However, its decline in its native range (caused by the diseases myxomatosis and rabbit calicivirus, as well as overhunting and habitat loss), has caused the decline of its highly dependent predators, the Iberian lynx and the Spanish imperial eagle. It is known as an invasive species because it has been introduced to countries on all continents with the exception of Antarctica, and caused many problems within the environment and ecosystems. Australia has the most problems with European rabbits, due to the lack of natural predators there. Order: Lagomorpha, Family: Leporidae, Genus: Oryctolagus, Species: Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758).