Rabbits, sometimes called by their scientific name, lepus curpaeums, are a small mammal species. They are commonly used as house pets and have traditionally been hunted for their fur and meat. They belong in a family of animals that include hares and pikas. They are generally quite small, ranging from 7.9 inches long to 20 inches (large wild counterparts) and range in weight from less than one pound to over four pounds. They generally sleep for around eight hours and live for nine years in optimal conditions.
A male rabbit is a buck, while a female is a doe. Young rabbits are called kittens and sometimes kits. Does become pregnant many times per year and produce from four to twelve kits, resulting in a very large growth of population very quickly. However, their growth is generally balanced by the very large amount of predators they are hunted by.
Some of the predators of rabbits, who live in meadows, woods, forests, grasslands, deserts and wetlands, include many birds such as hawks, sparrows, owls, falcons and kestrels. In addition, land animals, such as weasels, ferrets, badgers, stoats and snakes are also common predators of the rabbit.
