A List of the Different Breeds of Rabbits
www.wikipedia.org
Rabbit breeds are notably different varieties of domestic rabbit
created through selective breeding or natural selection.
List of Rabbit Breeds:
Alaska
Angora
Argente
Beveren
British Giant
Californian
Chinchilla
Dutch
English Spot
Flemish Giant
Fox
Harlequin
Havana
Himalayan
Lilac
Lionhead
Lop
Netherland Dwarf
New Zealand
Palomino
Polish
Rex
Rhinelander
Sable
Satin
Siberian
Silver
Silver Fox
Smoke Pearl
Swiss Fox
Tan
Thuringer
Vienna
See also: Types of Rabbits
Rabbit Breeds
This is an incomplete list. It may never be fully completed or,
depending on its nature, it may be that it can never be complete.
However, new and revised entries in the list are always welcome.
Alaska
The Alaska breed ranges from six to eight pounds in size. The
only color currently accepted by the ARBA is black. Alaska
rabbits were originally bred for their fur, originating in
Germany from Argente and Himalayan rabbits.
Angora
The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit,
originating in Turkey. They are bred largely for their wool,
which may be removed by shearing or plucking (gently pulling
loose wool).
There are five individual breeds of Angora rabbits:
English - Rabbits of this breed are adorned with what are called
"furnishings," growths of wool on the tips of the ears and front
feet. They are gentle in nature but not recommended for those who
don't enjoy grooming their animals.
French - The French Angora is slightly larger than the English
Angora and requires less grooming.
Satin - This breed is named for the extremely soft texture of its
wool. It has no furnishings on face, ears, or feet. It is also
easy to groom compared to the English variety.
Giant - The Giant Angora is larger than other varieties and
currently only available in the color white. It has three hair
types in its wool: under wool, awn fluff, and awn hair. They are
known for their gentle dispositions.
German - This breed is not recognized by the American Rabbit
Breeders' Association and is strictly a commercial wool-producing
breed.
Argente
Four types of Argente: Argente Creme, Argente Bleu, Argente de
Champagne, Argente Brun.
Creme-This is the smallest of the Angente breed. The under color
is orange and the top color creamy white interspersed with long
orange hairs.
Bleu-About 6 pounds. An under color of lavender and a top coat of
bluish white.
de Champagne-It is slightly larger than medium sized breeds,
weighing around eight pounds. Silvery color. The under color is
dark slate blue and the top coat is whitish blue shot through
with black.
Brun-Brought into England in the 1920's from France. The Argente
Brun is very rarely seen now.
Beveren
Weighing about 8 pounds, the Beveren is one of the oldest and
largest of the fur rabbits. It was first bred in Beveren, which
is a small town near Antwerp in Belgium. They come in blue,
white, black, brown and lilac. There is a rare variety called the
Pointed Beveren, which comes in the same colors but has white
tipped hairs.
British Giant
Weighs 12.5 pounds and over, the colors are dark steel grey,
black, white, blue, brown, grey and opal.
Californian
First brought in the UK from the USA in the 1950's. The color is
all white with black, chocolate, blue or lilac nose, ears feet
and tail.
Chinchilla
Originated in France and was first introduced after the First
World War. The under color of the fur should be slate blue at
the base, the middle portion pearl grey, merging into white and
tipped with black.
Dutch
Small rabbit with colorings consisting of a white stripe below
the neck, a white nose and one other color (usually black, brown
or grey) on the eyes, ears and below the stripe.
English Spot
Has a white rabbit with color on the ears and body with chains
and spots of blue, black, tortoiseshell, grey or chocolate. I
should put more detail
Flemish Giant
One of the largest breeds of rabbit, Flemish giants weigh around
twelve pounds. They originated in Flanders.
Fox
Weighing between 5.5 and 7 pounds, exhibited in 1926 followed by
blue, chocolate and lila. The fox is one of the most popular of
the fur breeds.
Harlequin
Weighing up to 8 pounds was created in France from the
Tortoiseshell Dutch, first shown in the UK in the 1880's as a
Japanese. Evenly colored black, golden orange on the head, ears
legs and body.
Havana
Weighing up to 6.5 pounds, it is thought that the first Havana
appeared in a litter bred from a Dutch doe that was stabled with
other breeds. It has a rich chocolate brown pelt and rich,
ruby-eyed glow of the eye.
Himalayan
Weighing around 4.5 pounds, The Himalayan has a long, snake-like
body and a short, white coat with chocolate, black, blue or lilac
point.
Lilac
Weighing up to 7 pounds, first bred in the UK around 1913. It has
a dense silky fur evenly colored throughout in a pinkish dove
shade.
Lionhead
Is one of the newest breed of domesticated rabbits.
The Lionhead rabbit originated in Belgium. It is reported to have
been produced by breeders trying to breed a long coated dwarf
rabbit by crossing a miniature Swiss Fox and a Belgian dwarf. The
Lionhead seemed to have been more popular than the long coated
dwarf, and so breeders carried on this trend in breeding them
intentionally, and so came what we know today as the Lionhead
rabbit.
The breed has been recognized by the British Rabbit Council,
however as of yet it is not a recognized breed in the US.
Lop
Is one of the oldest breeds of domesticated rabbits. Four types
of lops: French Lop, Holland Lop, Dwarf Lop, English Lop.
French-is thought to have been produced by crossing the English
Lop with an unknown breed.
Holland-the Holland is to be heavily muscled, short coupled,
compact and well balanced in length, width, and depth. The
shoulders and chest should be broad and well filled, same as the
hindquarters. The head being massive in appearance setting high
on the shoulders and close to the shoulders showing no neck. With
the depth almost equal at the top of the shoulder as over the
hindquarters. The legs are to be short, thick, straight, and
heavily boned for the size of the animal.
English-(most popular Lop) Bred in a limited variety of colors,
the most popular being sooty fawn. Others are black, fawn and
marked varieties of these colors.
Dwarf-A newer breed that originated by crossing the French lop
with a Dwarf.
Netherland Dwarf
Introduced into the UK in 1950, this breed is one of the smallest
and is widely considered one of the cutest. It is bred in a wide
variety of colors and patterns. Though it was originally of foul
temper when it was first imported from the Netherlands, it is now
a gentle but energetic rabbit breed. It is the breed of rabbit
most commonly kept as a pet.
New Zealand
New Zealand rabbits are available in three ARBA-recognized
colors: white, red, and black. The Red has bright golden red fur
with a slightly harsher coat than the other colors. White is the
most common color and was first bred in the USA for commercial
purposes.
Palomino
Weighing 9-10 pounds. The body is to be of medium length with
firm flesh, well developed shoulders, and well filled and rounded
hindquarters. The top line should have a gradual arc smoothly
rising upward from the neck reaching it’s high point at the loin
hip and sloping downward towards the tail. The surface color is
to have as little variation as possible. The Golden variety is to
be a bright golden shade over a cream to white under color. The
Lynx variety has a medium pearl gray surface color blending to an
orange beige intermediate color over a cream to white under color.
Polish
First bred in Holland. The red-eyed white is the most common. The
English Polish rabbit has only recently been introduced into the
USA, it has a separate classification and is called the Britannia
Petite.
Rex
Weighing around 6-8 pounds, all the Rex varieties are of the same
type, a graceful rabbit gently sloping up to well rounded
hindquarters.
Mini Rex - weighing around 4 1/2 pounds. Short and rather close
coupled, it is moderately well filled with flesh. The ideal
length of fur is 5/8 inch, and is to have a lustrous appearance,
good body, and a plush-like effect which offers a distinct
springy resistance to the touch. This breed is also referred to
as a "Velveteen" rabbit.
Rhinelander
Weighing 6-8 pounds, the body is to be well arched carried off
the table, avoiding any tendency toward heaviness in the shoulder
or hindquarters. Rhinelanders should exhibit length that gives a
graceful appearance, width of a well rounded body, and a smooth
top line blending into a rounded hindquarter. They should also
display an appearance of alertness and springiness. The unique
quality of the Rhinelander is based on three things: Type being
first, Coloration and Markings being next with equal values.
Sable
Weighing 5-7 pounds, Marten Sable (with a white underside) and
Siamese Sable are the only colors available. Starting at the head
with a dark shade of the color, it gradually becomes lighter over
the rest of the body.
Satin
Weighing 6-8 pounds, the Satin comes in over 20 colors, all of
which have a velvety coat.
Satin Angora-weighing around 8.5 pounds. The Satin Angora is
similar to the French Angora, but with silky, shiny wool.
Siberian
Weighing between 5-7 pounds, the Siberian Rabbit was first bred
in the UK around 1930 although its ancestry is unclear. It is a
very graceful rabbit with an attractive coat, colored black,
blue, brown or lilac.
Silver
Weighing around 4-5 pounds, with silver specks of fur spot this
rabbit's body. The colors of this rabbit are black (Silver Gray),
blue (Silver Blue), fawn (Silver Fawn), and brown (Silver Brown.)
All of which include silver hairs.
Silver Fox
Weighing 5-7 pounds, four color varieties are available in this
breed: black, blue, lilac, and chocolate. Longer white hairs
should be ticked across the body.
Smoke Pearl
The Smoke pearl was created in Scotland in 1926, it was
originally known as Smoke Beige, the name was changed in 1932.
The color is light pearl grey and beige. The Siamese version has
smoke on the saddle shading to pearl grey beige on the flank,
chest and belly. The Marten version has white ticking, eye
circles and belly.
Swiss Fox
Weighing about 5.5-7 pounds. The Swiss Fox rabbits have 2 inch fur
and come in many colors.
Tan
Weighing about 4.5 pounds, tan rabbits make a good pet. The
undersides of this rabbit, which include the tail, stomach, chin,
and ears, are colored in tan fur. The rest of the rabbit is
colored in black, blue, brown, or lilac.
Thuringer
Weighing around 9 pounds, this thickset rabbit was first bred in
Germany from Himalayans and Argentes. Its coat is yellow ochre or
buff with bluish black guards hairs. it has darker hairs on its
face and boots. this breed is usually only available from
specialist breeders. they can come in a range of colors,
although most commonly are yellow.
Vienna
Weighing 8-12 pounds, the Vienna is an old Austrian breed which
has recently been introduced into the UK. They come in two
colors the Vienna Blue which has a dark, slate blue top color
with a lighter under color and the Vienna White which has a
silky white coat.
