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European Rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is a type of rabbit native to southern Europe. It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity.
European Rabbits are small, grey-brown mammals ranging from 34 to 45 cm (13 to 18 in) in length, and are approximately 1.3 to 2.2 kg (3 to 5 lb) in weight. As a lagomorph, they have 4 sharp incisors (2 on top, 2 on bottom) that grow continuously throughout their life, and two peg teeth on the top behind the inscisors, dissimilar to those of rodents (which have only 2 each, top and bottom). Rabbits have long ears, large hind legs, and short, fluffy tails. Rabbits move by hopping, using their long and powerful hind legs. To facilitate quick movement, a rabbit's hind feet have a thick padding of fur to dampen the shock of rapid hopping. Their toes are long, and are webbed to keep themselves from spreading apart as they jump.
Rabbits are well-known for digging networks of burrows called warrens, where they spend most of their time when not feeding. Unlike the related hares (Lepus), rabbits are altricial, the young being born blind and furless, in a furlined nest in the warren, and totally dependent upon their mother.
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