Rabbit

rabbit the small mammal Oryctolagus cuniculus. Native to Morocco and the Iberian peninsula, rabbits are now found throughout Europe, and have been introduced to the Azores, Madeira, S. America, Australia, and New Zealand. They inhabit grassland or open woodland, are mostly nocturnal in habit, and eat herbage and bark.

Rabbits belong to the family Leporidae, which includes the various species of hare. Considered with reference to N. America, confusion arises. The cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) and marsh hare (S. aquaticus) would be considered rabbits by Europeans. On the other hand, the jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) would be thought a hare in Europe. The important difference is that the flesh of rabbit is pale and mildly flavoured, while that of hare is dark and often very strong. The two are treated differently in the kitchen.