Surely you have already heard the saying: “have children like rabbits” but where exactly does this saying come from?

Rabbits: everything you need to know

Rabbits are part of the Leporidae group. These are small mammals that have very long ears and a nice wad-like tail.

In general, their bone structure is very small and the fur covers the whole body. Being very dense and soft, it is divided into various zones. We therefore speak of the main coat, which is longer and more consistent, and of the undercoat, which is short and fine.

A peculiarity of rabbits, which makes them unique in their kind, are their teeth. Rabbits’ teeth grow throughout their lives. Their excessive development is therefore hindered by the continuous chewing of foods such as grass, field plants, leaves, roots, shrubs, and bark.

Another aspect that makes rabbits special in our eyes is their reproductive strategy. In fact, these small animals reach sexual maturity already after 4 months in the female and after 5 in the male. In addition to this, females face several pregnancies during the year, even in the same period.

H1: Rabbits’ reproductive strategy 

Rabbits, like hares, fish, reptiles and bacteria have a type of reproduction called “R“. Unlike them, humans reproduce on the basis of “K” type reproduction, which is limited. In fact, we men can produce a limited number of children and above all we must take care of them, especially in the early years.

Reproductive strategy “R”: what it is

The “R” strategy (indefinite reproduction) allows to give birth to a large number of children but regardless of their quality of life and ability to survive. In fact, rabbits do not care about the conditions of their young and if they will be able to survive but simply give birth to them.

In this way, the rabbits can give birth to up to 14 puppies per birth. And they can have up to five pregnancies in just one year.

Two pregnancies at the same time

The rabbit has two uteri. In this way, even if one uterus is occupied, the other is still “free” and can be easily fertilized.

What if both are busy?

In this case, during intercourse, the egg which is released from the ovaries meets a part of the sperm from the first mating which are stored upstream of the developing fetuses.

In doing so, a second pregnancy begins, at the same time as the first.

So here is the rabbit reproductive strategy. Did you already know the saying “have children like rabbits”?