Black rabbits (1 Viewer)

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Beany

Well-known member

• May 13, 2005

• #1

Hi all.

I've seen black rabbits twice within the last week. One was on the edge of Durham city, and was pretty unwary, so I assumed it was an escaped pet. The other was out on the moors at Bollihope, quite a long way from civilisation. I've seen one once before near Bollihope, as well.

Does anyone know how often this occurs in the wild? Or is it likely to be due to pet rabbit genes making their way into the wild gene pool?

 

saluki

Well-known member

• May 13, 2005

• #2

Beany said:

Hi all.

I've seen black rabbits twice within the last week. One was on the edge of Durham city, and was pretty unwary, so I assumed it was an escaped pet. The other was out on the moors at Bollihope, quite a long way from civilisation. I've seen one once before near Bollihope, as well.

Does anyone know how often this occurs in the wild? Or is it likely to be due to pet rabbit genes making their way into the wild gene pool?

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It's quite common in wild populations. I've also seen silvery blue ones and sandy coloured ones - the same colour as the nape of a rabbit's neck, but all over. I think these are naturally occuring colour variants. I've also seen rabbits with patches on them like domestic rabbits and thought these to be decended from captive animals - don't know if I'm correct.

saluki

 

CornishExile

rydhsys rag Kernow lemmyn!

• May 13, 2005

• #3

Black rabbits seem to be an especially common occurence in isolated populations; for instance Shetland, where it's by no means uncommon. White patches seem also capable of occuring quite spontaneously, even in populations that almost certainly have not had 'domestic' rabbit input; I can pretty much guarantee my local population of rabbits hasn't had domestic rabbit input (not a popular pet on Shetland, let alone the outlying islands), but there are a high proportion of black rabbits, and a smaller number with white patches, often on the forehead. I'm sure it's something to do with a relative lack of genetic diversity.

CE

 

David Nicholson

Well-known member

• May 13, 2005

• #4

Beany said:

Hi all.

I've seen black rabbits twice within the last week. One was on the edge of Durham city, and was pretty unwary, so I assumed it was an escaped pet.

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Was it the one living in the grounds of Bannatynes gym? If so, I dont think it is an escapee, as I've been seeing it on and of for a couple of years now, ever since it was tiny.

 

christineredgate

Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th

• May 13, 2005

• #5

Hi,Beany,on our local holiday home site,there are rabbits galore,and there are lots of black rabbits.They are everywhere.

 

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Tranquility Base

Registered User

• May 13, 2005

• #6

To echo the Cornish Exile's comments: melanism in rabbits seems most common in island populations: I have seen lots of them on Lewis, Skomer and Lundy!

 

Gill Osborne

Well-known member

• May 14, 2005

• #7

Often used to see a black rabbit amongst it's normal coloured relatives at Wallsend Swallow Pond in the mid-80's.
It wasn't pure black like a pet rabbit...just VERY dark, more of a charcoal grey.

GILL

 

B

Beany

Well-known member

• May 16, 2005

• #8

Thanks all for the replies.

Obviously it's more common than I thought. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for the silvery blue and sandy variations as well.

David- it wasn't Bannatynes Gym, it was near the crematorium.

 

ashrich

Registered , should be certified .......

• May 23, 2005

• #9

Hello , I have seen black rabbits in Hambleden and Marlow in recent years , seem to see them more when we have a local glut of rabbits , ie. years with a mild winter and no myxie , although at the moment we have an enormous glut of hares instead .

Ashley

 

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Allen S. Moore

Well-known member

• Jun 14, 2005

• #10

Clouseau said:

To echo the Cornish Exile's comments: melanism in rabbits seems most common in island populations: I have seen lots of them on Lewis, Skomer and Lundy!

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I have seen quite a few black rabbits in the Isle of Man, including the 250ha Calf of Man, over my 48 years, including 3 or 4 in the last 2 months. There was a yarn that black rabbits were immune to myximatosis and acted as a carrier in the population. It might just be a tall story (we Manx are not strangers to them!), but, there again, some people are carriers of MRSA and do not suffer from it themselves.

 

Stuart Watson

Well-known member

• Jun 14, 2005

• #11

Theres loads of black rabbits in Scotland - over the past 2 years i`ve seen about half a dozen around Loch Lomond - 2 in Strathblane - 2 in Cumbernauld (Westfield industrial estate) and 1 near Perth. Most of the black ones I have seen have been very small, but not all.
Is it possible that predators such as Buzzard for instance regard black rabbits as `alien` and therefore avoid them, allowing the gene to spread unhindered?
I would have thought that the opposite would be the case - as the black rabbits stick out a mile away surely making them easy targets. Has anyone witnessed a predator feasting on a blackie?

 

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Allen S. Moore

Well-known member

• Jun 14, 2005

• #12

Stuart Watson said:

I would have thought that the opposite would be the case - as the black rabbits stick out a mile away surely making them easy targets. Has anyone witnessed a predator feasting on a blackie?

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NOw you mention it, no!