Rabbit (European) Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus

Footprints and Tracks

Paws and feet

Rabbit footprints can be found on soft surfaces such as sand, snow and mud.  Rabbit footprints are quite distinctive because the hind foot is much larger than the front. The dimensions of a rabbit’s hindfoot prints usually are 75–95 mm long and 25 mm wide, while forefoot prints are 40 mm long by 25 mm wide. Often however, rabbits do not place all of the hindfoot on the ground when they run or the fur on their feet may disguise the footprint. In these instances, the length of the hind print could be 50 mm or less. Examining the tracks can show whether the animal is hopping slowly or running. When rabbits move around unhurriedly they bob (short hops) with the tail up, showing the white underside.  When they are alarmed rabbits will scuttle in a rush with their tail down.

Can be confused with:

Distinguishing between hare and rabbit footprints is difficult, but hare footprints will be larger (the length of hare hindfeet are 130-155 mm). Looking out for other clues such as droppings or burrows is the only reliable way to determine which species made the tracks.  Hares have a loping gait and always have their tails down.

Trails and Runs

Rabbit trails are also called runs. They can be little more than a narrow path of flattened grass across open areas and will often lead to places where there is cover, such as tall grass or scrub, where an animal can hide. Low tunnels may be formed through vegetation, such as tall grass.

Dens and nests

Rabbit warrens are very distinctive. There will normally be several burrow entrances with varying amounts of bare earth around them. Rabbit droppings will almost certainly be present and you may see rabbits nearby. Areas of bare earth may show signs of rabbit digging, so any bare earth within an area should be checked for signs of rabbit presence.  Each warren contains a complicated network of tunnels leading to several burrow entrances at ground level. Separate blind-ended burrows can also be used as a quick way to escape predators.

Can be confused with:

Hares do not create burrows; instead, they make small scrapes in long grass where they rest during the day. Sometimes, Norway rats create burrows but these will be smaller than rabbit burrows. Some burrowing seabirds create burrows that could be confused for a rabbit warren but there is usually little overlap in distribution between burrowing seabirds and rabbits.

Vegetation Damage

Understorey (less than 3m)

Rabbits will graze favoured vegetation to the point that there is nothing left but bare earth. They also suppress the growth and regeneration of favoured species, leading to changes in vegetation composition.

Can be confused with:

Sheep can graze pasture to very low levels, but not to quite the same extent as rabbits and often without much bare earth.

Bark

Rabbits will gnaw on bark, weakening the tree and leaving it vulnerable to infection. They target trees of all ages and if the bark is removed all the way round the trunk (ring barking), the tree will die above that point. Rabbits (and hares) have a  groove down the centre of the upper incisor teeth. The grooves in these teeth can show up in bitemarks as a distinctive scalloped outline, which helps to distinguish them from marks of other species such as possums. (See more on the Landcare Research chewcard guide.)

Rabbits will also eat the growing tips of seedlings and saplings, which can prevent regeneration of tree species.

Can be confused with:

Possums, hares, goats and deer will also eat tree bark. Looking for other pest sign (such as droppings and footprints) will enable you to correctly identify the culprit responsible.

Plant leaves

Rabbits like to eat leafy vegetation and will nibble tender leaves away from stems. This is often seen in gardens, but also in vegetable crops.

Can be confused with:

Other larger herbivorous (plant eating) animals like deer and goats may leave more ragged plants. Slugs and snails also eat the tender part of leaves, but they leave a distinctive slime trail as evidence.  Caterpillars can also completely strip a plant, but any remaining leaves will have holes rather than chew marks.

Kill Sign

Kill sign is not applicable because rabbits are herbivores (eat plants only).

Other Clues

Bite marks

Rabbits have four large incisor teeth at the front of the top jaw (two large ones with two smaller ones tucked directly behind them) and two incisors on the bottom jaw. The top front incisors have a groove down the middle of them that can produce a scalloped bite mark. The premolars and molars at the back are designed for chewing and grinding the rabbit plant diet.  Rabbits teeth grow continuously. Like all rodents they have no canine teeth.

Can be confused with

Hare and rabbit bite marks are very similar, as their teeth are arranged in a similar way and are of similar  size. Can also be mistaken for possum incisor teeth marks but those of rabbits/hares have four curved arcs rather than two for possum. The lower incisor marks of rabbits/hares are very straight but are strongly curved in possums.

For further guidance, including numerous illustrated examples, see the Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research chewcard interpretation guide and other more technical identification guides.

Distribution

Rabbits live throughout New Zealand from the coast up to about 1,000 m above sea level in the South Island and 1,200 m in the North Island, with the exception of Ruapehu where they can occur as high as 1,800 m above sea level. They are most common in dry areas which more closely resemble the Mediterranean habitat they originated from. Densities are low to moderate where rainfall is high.  Densities are also lower in urban areas, where land is being developed or scrub cleared, and where the grassland comprises tall dense swards (e.g. tussocklands).  Recently they have started to become highly problematic in areas that have been developed for small lifestyle blocks in Central Otago. Highest densities occur in parts of central Otago, McKenzie Basin, North Canterbury and Marlborough.  Rabbits have been eradicated from 18 offshore islands and have died out on a further 10 but are still present on another 25 islands.

Sound

Rabbits rarely make a sound, but may squeal if attacked by a predator. Occasionally they thump their hind feet on the ground as an alarm warning.

Body covering

Rabbit fur is grey-brown in colour, with white fur on the underside of the body and on the tail.  The fur is very soft to the touch.

Female (doe) rabbits pluck their fur to line their nests. Traces of rabbit fur may, therefore, lead to burrows containing young ones.

  Jack-Powell-re-rabbit-fur-clue.mp3

Listen to Jack Powell, long-time rabbiter and animal pest control officer, describe the way female rabbits leave tell-tale traces of fur. Audio clip courtesy New Zealand Biosecurity Institute Oral History Project.

Eye shine

Pink/red.

Can be confused with:

Rabbit eye shine can be confused with eye shine from a possum on the ground or a large rat.