The Reproduction of Rabbits :: essays research papers fc

Rabbits are one of the oldest known animals to exist. Rabbits appear in so many places in our history. In fact, these animals are so old that geologists have proved them to date back 30 or 40 million years. Perhaps, the most well known on appearance in history is the legend of the Easter Bunny. This legend is so well known and so well loved by children everywhere, that it is safe to say that the rabbit is a considerably important part of our history. This fact alone proves that the rabbit deserves our attention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rabbit is well known throughout the history of mankind. The Romans, at one time, thought that rabbit meat contributed to the beauty of Roman women. Fortunately they were correct. French monks of the middle ages also raised rabbits as meat for food and their fur for their robes. Both of these cultures enjoyed eating the unborn rabbit. Early Norman raiders introduced rabbits to England. Here, they were first caught with rabbits, and then, as rabbit hunting became a sport, they were hunted by ladies with bows and arrows and dogs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are also many artifacts in history that include the rabbit. For example, a sphinx in Turkey, built in 1500 B.C., has been standing on the figures of two rabbits for about 3500 years. There are numerous superstitions and legends pertaining to rabbits. The Emperor of the Balearic Islands, Hadarian, appears on coins of that era along with the rabbit. There is no doubt that rabbits are important to our history and deserve our attention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is hard to say where the rabbit was originally domesticated because there are so many accounts of this occurrence in so many countries, but it is generally accepted that the Phoenicians (traders from Spain) must receive credit for spreading the domestic rabbit throughout the world. There has also been much debate as to what order the rabbit should belong to. It seems that rabbits have cause much confusion for mankind throughout history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rabbits were once placed in the order of Rodentia. However, scientists soon noted that rabbits had many anatomical differences from rodents. The largest and most significant one being tooth structure. Rabbits were then given their own order. This is the order of Lagomorpha. This order is further divided into two smaller groups. They are Leporidae, which is made up of rabbits and hares, and Ochotonidae, containing only the small rock rabbit, the pika.