Species Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Rabbit
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
- Hickman, G.C. 1981. National mammal guides: a review of references to Recent faunas. Mammal Review 11: 53-85 (for works giving extralimital synonyms and taxonomic arrangements)
Generic Combinations
- Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758).
Distribution
States
Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Introduced from UK.
IBRA
ACT, NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA: Australian Alps (AA), Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Ben Lomond (BEL), Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Burt Plain (BRT), Carnarvon (CAR), Channel Country (CHC), Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Coolgardie (COO), Cobar Peneplain (CP), Central Ranges (CR), Desert Uplands (DEU), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Esperance Plains (ESP), Eyre Yorke Block (EYB), Finke (FIN), Flinders Lofty Block (FLB), Flinders (FLI), Gascoyne (GAS), Gawler (GAW), Gibson Desert (GD), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Jarrah Forest (JF), Kanmantoo (KAN), King (KIN), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Mallee (MAL), Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Mulga Lands (ML), Murchison (MUR), Nandewar (NAN), Naracoorte Coastal Plain (NCP), New England Tablelands (NET), NSW North Coast (NNC), NSW South Western Slopes (NSS), Nullarbor (NUL), Pilbara (PIL), Riverina (RIV), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Coastal Plain (SCP), South East Corner (SEC), South Eastern Highlands (SEH), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Stony Plains (STP), Sturt Plateau (STU), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Tanami (TAN), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM), Tasmanian Northern Slopes (TNS), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE), Victorian Midlands (VM), Victorian Volcanic Plain (VVP), Warren (WAR), Wet Tropics (WT), Yalgoo (YAL)
Ecological Descriptors
Burrower, coprophagous, crop, folivore, gregarious, herbivore, low open woodland, root-feeder, tall open shrubland, terrestrial, territorial, tussock grassland.
General References
Bowen, Z. & Read, J.L. 1998. Population and demographic pattern of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) at Roxbury Downs in arid South Australia and the influence of rabbit haemorrhagic disease. Wildlife Research 25: 655-662
Clutton-Brock, J. 1981. Domesticated Animals from Early Times. London : British Museum 208 pp.
Cooke, B.D. 1982. A shortage of water in natural pastures as a factor limiting a population of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), in arid, north-eastern South Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 9: 65-476
Cooke, B.D. 1983. Changes in the age-structure and size of populations of wild rabbits in South Australia, following the introduction of European rabbit fleas, Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale), as vectors of myxomatosis. Australian Wildlife Research 10: 105-120
Dawson, T.J. & Ellis, B.A. 1994. Diets of mammalian herbivores in Australian arid shrublands: seasonal effects on overlap between red kangaroos, sheep and rabbits and on dietary niche breadths and selectivities. Journal of Arid Environments 26: 257-271
Edmonds, J.W., Backholer, J.R. & Shepherd, R.C.H. 1981. Some biological characteristics of a feral rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), population of wild and domestic origin. Australian Wildlife Research 8: 589-596
Flux, J.E.C. 1965. Timing of the breeding season in the hare, Lepus europaeus Pallas, and rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.). Mammalia 29: 557-562
Flux, J.E.C. & Fullagar, P.J. 1983. World distribution of the rabbit. Acta Zoologica Fennica 174: 75-77
Flux, J.E.C. & Fullagar, P.J. 1983. World distribution of the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Acta Zoologica Fennica 174: 75-77
Flux, J.E.C. & Fullagar, P.J. 1992. World distribution of the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus on islands. Mammal Review 22: 151-205
Fullagar, P.J. 1977. Observations on myxomatosis in a rabbit population with immune adults. Australian Wildlife Research 4: 263-280
Gilbert, N., Myers, K., Cooke, B.D., Dunsmore, J.D., Fullagar, P.J., Gibb, J.A., King, D.R., Parer, I., Wheeler, S.H. & Wood, D.H. 1987. Comparative dynamics of Australasian rabbit populations. Australian Wildlife Research 14: 491-503
Hesterman, E.R., Malafant, K. & Mykytowycz, R. 1984. Misidentification of wild rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, of group members carrying the odor of foreign inguinal gland secretion. III. Experiments with mixed sex groups and analysis of further data from all-male and all-female groups. Journal of Chemical Ecology 10: 403-419
King, D. 1990. The distribution of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), in Western Australia. Western Australian Naturalist 18: 71-74
King, D.R., Wheeler, S.H. & Robinson, M.H. 1984. Daytime locations of European rabbits at three localities in south-western Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 11: 89-92
King, D.R., Wheeler, S.H. & Schmidt, G.L. 1983. Population fluctuations and reproduction of rabbits in a pastoral area on the coast north of Carnarvon, W.A. Australian Wildlife Research 10: 97-104
Lange, R.T. & Graham, C.R. 1983. Rabbits and the failure of regeneration in Australian arid zone Acacia. Australian Journal of Ecology 8: 377-381
Leigh, J.H., Wimbush, D.J., Wood, D.H., Holgate, M.D., Slee, A.V., Stanger, M.G. & Forrester, R.I. 1987. Effects of rabbit grazing and fire on a subalpine environment. I. Herbaceous and shrubby vegetation. Australian Journal of Botany 35: 433-464
Leigh, J.H., Wood, D.H., Holgate, M.D., Slee, A. & Stanger, M.G. 1989. Effects of rabbit and kangaroo grazing on two semi-arid grassland communities in central-western New South Wales. Australian Journal of Botany 37: 375-396
Long, J.L. 1972. Introduced birds and mammals in Western Australia. Agricultural Protection Board Western Australia Technical Service 1: 1-30
McIlroy, J.C. & Gifford, E.J. 1992. Secondary poisoning hazards associated with 1080-treated carrot-baiting campaigns against rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus. Wildlife Research 19: 629-641
Merritt, G.C., Goodrich, B.S., Hesterman, E.R. & Mykytowycz, R. 1982. Microflora and volatile fatty acids present in inguinal pouches of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus in Australia. Journal of Chemical Ecology 8: 1217-1225
Mutze, G.J. 1991. Long-term effects of warren ripping for rabbit control in semi-arid South Australia. Rangeland Journal 13: 96-106
Myers, K. 1971. The rabbit in Australia. pp. 478-506 in den Boer, P.J. & Gradwell, G.R (eds). Dynamics of Populations. Proceedings of the Advanced Study Institute on 'Dynamics of Numbers in Populations', Oosterbeek, the Netherlands, 7–18 September 1970. Wageningen : Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation (Pudoc).
Myers, K. 1995. Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. pp. 703-705 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.
Myers, K., Parer, I., Wood, D. & Cooke, B.D. 1994. The rabbit in Australia. pp. 108-157 in Thompson, H.V. & King, C.M. (eds). The European rabbit. The history and biology of a successful colonizer. Oxford : Oxford University Press 245 pp.
Myers, K., Parer, I. & Richardson, B.J. 1989. Leporidae. pp. 917-931 in Walton, D.W. & Richardson, B.J. (eds). Fauna of Australia. Mammalia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1B 827 pp.
Myers, K. & Parker, B.S. 1975. A study of the biology of the wild rabbit in climatically different regions in Eastern Australia. VI. Changes in numbers and distribution related to climate and land systems in semiarid North-western New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 2: 11-32
Myers, K. & Parker, B.S. 1975. Effect of severe drought on rabbit numbers and distribution in a refuge area in semiarid North-western New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 2: 103-120
Neave, H.M. & Tanton, M.T. 1989. The effects of grazing by kangaroos and rabbits on the vegetation and the habitat of other fauna in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Australian Capital Territory. Australian Wildlife Research 16: 337-351
Olsen, P.D. & Marples, T.G. 1992. Alteration of the clutch size of raptors in response to a change in prey availablity: evidence from control of a broad-scale rabbit infestation. Wildlife Research 19: 129-135 (Corrigendum 19: 507)
Parer, I. 1977. The population ecology of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), in a Mediterranean-type climate in New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 4: 171-205
Parer, I. 1982. Dispersal of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, at Urana in New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 9: 427-441
Parer, I. 1987. Factors influencing the distribution and abundance of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Queensland. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 98: 73-82
Parer, I. 1995. Relationship between survival rate and survival time of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), challenged with myxoma virus. Australian Journal of Zoology 43: 303-311
Parer, I., Sobey, W.R., Connolly, D. & Morton, R. 1994. Virulence of strains of myxoma virus and the resistance of wild rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) from different locations in Australasia. Australian Journal of Zoology 42: 347-362
Parer, I., Sobey, W.R., Connolly, D. & Morton, R. 1995. Sire transmission of acquired resistance to myxomatosis. Australian Journal of Zoology 43: 459-466
Parer, I. & Fullagar, P.J. 1986. Biology of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in subtropical Queensland. Australian Wildlife Research 13: 545-557
Parer, I. & Libke, J.A. 1985. Distribution of rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, warrens in relation to soil type. Australian Wildlife Research 12: 387-405
Parer, I. & Libke, J.A. 1991. Biology of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.), in the southern tablelands of New South Wales. Wildlife Research 18: 327-341
Parer, I. & Parker, B.S. 1986. Recolonisation by rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) after warren destruction in western New South Wales. Australian Rangeland Journal 8: 150-152
Parer, I. & Wood, D.H. 1986. Further observations of the use of warren entrances as an index of the number of rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus. Australian Wildlife Research 13: 331-332
Parker, B.S. & Myers, K. 1974. A study of the biology of the wild rabbit in climatically different regions in Eastern Australia. V. The use of aerial surveys to map the distribution of rabbit warrens over large areas of semiarid North-western New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 1: 17-26
Pech, R.P., Sinclair, H.R.E., Newsome, A.E. & Catling, P.C. 1992. Limits to predator regulation of rabbits in Australia: evidence from predator-removal experiments. Oecologia (Berlin) 89: 102-112
Pech, R.P. & Hood, G.M. 1998. Foxes, rabbits, alternative prey and rabbit calicivirus disease: consequences of a new biological control agent for an outbreaking species in Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology 35: 434-453
Richardson, B.J. & Osborne, P.G. 1982. Experimental ecological studies on a subalpine rabbit population. II. The effect of sodium and nutritional supplementation on breeding and physiological condition. Australian Wildlife Research 9: 451-463
Richardson, B.J. & Wood, D.H. 1982. Experimental ecological studies on a subalpine rabbit population. I. Mortality factors acting on emergent kittens. Australian Wildlife Research 9: 443-450
Robinson, M.H. & Wheeler, S.H. 1983. A radiotracking study of four poisoning techniques for control of the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.). Australian Wildlife Research 10: 513-520
Sakaguchi, E. & Hume, I.D. 1990. Digesta retention and fibre digestion in brushtail possums, ringtail possums and rabbits. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 96: 351-354
Selkirk, P.M., Costin, A.B., Seppelt, R.D. & Scott, J.J. 1983. Rabbits, vegetation and erosion on Macquarie Island. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 106: 337-346
Shepherd, R.C.H. & Edmonds, J.W. 1996. Founder effects in some Victorian wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus L. populations. Victorian Naturalist 113: 98-101
Strong, B.W. & Low, W.A. 1985. A short note on some biological characteristics of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in the Northern Territory. Northern Territory Naturalist 8: 8-12
Tiver, F. & Andrew, M.H. 1997. Relative effects of herbivory by sheep, rabbits, goats, and kangaroos on recruitment and regeneration of shrubs and trees in eastern South Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology 34: 903-914
Werren, G.L. & Clough, A.R. 1991. Effect of rabbit browsing on littoral rainforest, Cabbage Tree Island, New South Wales - with special reference to the status of the Gould's petrel. pp. 257-277 in Werren, G.L. & Kershaw, P. (eds). The rainforest legacy. Vol. 2. Special Australian Heritage Publication No 7. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service.
Wheeler, S.H. & King, D.R. 1985. The European rabbit in south-western Australia. III Survival. Australian Wildlife Research 12: 213-226
Williams, C.K. & Moore, R.J. 1989. Genetic divergence in fecundity of Australian wild rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus. Journal of Animal Ecology 58: 249-259
Williams, C.K. & Moore, R.J. 1989. Phenotypic adaptation and natural selection in the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in Australia. Journal of Animal Ecology 58: 495-507
Williams, C.K. & Moore, R.J. 1990. Environmental and genetic influences on growth of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L), in Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 37: 591-598
Williams, C.K. & Moore, R.J. 1995. Effectiveness and cost-efficiency of control of the wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (L), by combinations of poisoning, ripping, fumigation and maintenance fumigation. Wildlife Research 22: 253-269
Wood, D.H. 1984. The rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) as an element in the arid biome of Australia. pp. 273-287 in Cogger, H.G. & Cameron, E.E. (eds). Arid Australia. Sydney : Australian Museum 338 pp.
Wood, D.H. 1985. Effectiveness and economics of destruction of rabbit warrens in sandy soils by ripping. Australian Rangeland Journal 7: 122-129
Worden, A.N. & Leahy, J.S. 1962. The behaviour of rabbits. pp. 397-414 in Hafez, E.S.E. (ed.). The Behaviour of Domestic Animals. London : Baillière, Tindall & Cox.
Common Name References
ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Rabbit)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-Dec-2010 | 16-Oct-2013 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |