The Natural History of Rabbits

The purpose of this volume is to bring together and summarize current knowledge about the rabbit in the wild. It is intended to cover all aspects of its history, from how it spread naturally throughout Western Europe and North Africa to the reasons for its introduction by man into Britain during the 12th century and how the rabbit subsequently established wild colonies. The author also shows how they became important components in many ecosystems both as prey and as vegetarian predators, changing and controlling the characteristics of plant and animal diversity and modifying the landscape in which they lived. Also considered are its life cycle, diet, diseases, relationship with other rabbits and its behaviour and social life. The factors controlling rabbit numbers are discussed and finally some predictions are made concerning the future relationships between man and the wild rabbit.