European rabbit

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) or coney^[5] is a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal and Andorra) and southwestern France.^[3] It is the only living species in Oryctolagus, a genus of lagomorphs. The average adult European rabbit is smaller than the European hare, though size and weight vary with habitat and diet. Due to the European rabbit's history of domestication, selective breeding, and introduction to non-native habitats, wild and domesticated European rabbits across the world can vary widely in size, shape, and color.

European rabbits prefer grassland habitats and are herbivorous, mainly feeding on grasses and leaves, though they may supplement their diet with berries, tree bark, and field crops such as maize. They are prey to a variety of predators, including birds of prey, mustelids, cats, and canids. The European rabbit's main defense against predators is to run and hide, using vegetation and its own burrows for cover. It is well known for digging networks of burrows, called warrens, where it spends most of its time when not feeding. The European rabbit lives in social groups centered around territorial females. European rabbits in an established social group will rarely stray far from their warren, with female rabbits leaving the warren mainly to establish nests where they will raise their young. Unlike hares, rabbits are born blind and helpless, requiring maternal care until they leave the nest.

The European rabbit has had major agricultural and biological impacts as an invasive species, and has been hunted and raised as a food source since medieval times. It is the only domesticated species of rabbit, and all known breeds of rabbit are its descendants. It has often been introduced to exotic locations as a food source or for sport hunting. Starting from the first century BCE, it has been introduced to at least 800 islands and every continent with the exception of Antarctica, often with devastating effects on local biodiversity due to a lack of predators. However, the species is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as it has faced population declines in its native range due to overhunting, habitat destruction, and diseases such as myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease. This decline has directly led to negative impacts on populations of the Iberian lynx and Spanish imperial eagle, predators that rely intensely on the rabbit as food.