Allotments 4 All

Watching our resident wild bunnies this morning, I noticed that there was a black one in the gang.  A few years ago, my wild rabbits were all small with shorter ears. Is this 'normal' or have I just got weird rabbits?  Little darlings have taken the tops off all my red-leaved dahlias but left the others alone.

Hi FoC! Can't help you with your query, but the rabbits do sound cute.

My husband swears there is one particular rabbit that "waves" to him every day when he drives to work!

Melanistic forms are not uncommon - certainly commoner than albinos - in many species. There used to be a field full of variegated rabbits, from normal agouti to near-black, near Kidsgrove, which I used to see from the Manchester train every morning. I presume they are less well adapted for survival purposes as they are a touch more conspicuous, and thus more likely to fall victim to predators.

Black rabbits actually have a higher survival rate because there predators are nocturnal and the rabbits blend in easier than any other colour. This stuff I know because my girlfriend breeds rabbits and at two in the morning, looking for a black rabbit that has escaped, is not funny. Trust me on this.

TrailRat

Pre 1916, they thought the same about destroyers, and painted them all black. It turned out they were wrong. Actually the major predators of adult rabbits are not so much nocturnal as crepuscular - but I've had the same experiences as you trying to catch escaped bunnies at night. Fun isn't the word I'd choose to describe it.