Rabbit and hare

Rabbits and hares (family Leporidae) is a group of small herbivorous mammals, almost all with prominent ears and large hind legs to give speed when moving. There is some confusion with the naming of these animals – hares are generally considered to only include members of the genus Lepus, with rabbits encompassing every other genus in the family, although some are misnamed. For example, jackrabbits are types of hare, while the hispid and red rock hares are types of rabbit. Rabbits and hares are important to many cultures, appearing as figures in myths as well as being used for food, fur and kept as pets.

## Appearances in Dorling Kindersley Vision media

The European rabbit is the fifth most commonly-recurring mammal species in Dorling Kindersley Vision programmes, appearing in thirty different episodes. It is also the only species of leporid to have been filmed under studio settings, with all the others appearing solely as stock footage. Collectively, leporids have appeared in thirty-eight episodes.

### See How They Grow

The European rabbit appears in two episodes from the first phase of See How They Grow videos. In Farm Animals, a rabbit appears in the Lamb segment, emerging from its burrow and investigating the lamb’s stall. In Wild Animals, the life-cycle of a rabbit is shown, using domestic rabbits as a stand-in for wild animals, while a rabbit also briefly appears in the Pheasant segment, frightening the young pheasant into hiding.

### Eyewitness

All three seasons of Eyewitness have an episode containing a rabbit or hare, with thirteen altogether. Season one has just three episodes, season three has four episodes and season two has six episodes in which at least one species appears.

* **SEASON ONE**: Cat, Dog, Reptile
* **SEASON TWO**: Desert, Tree, Mammal, Volcano, Weather, Shell
* **SEASON THREE**: Sight, Survival, Plant, Natural Disasters

Eight out of the nine species of leporid that appear in Dorling Kindersley Vision programmes appear at least once in Eyewitness. Five species – the desert cottontail, mountain hare, European brown hare, African savannah hare and black-tailed jackrabbit – appear only in Eyewitness.

### Amazing Animals

All four episodes of Amazing Animals have episodes containing rabbits or hares, with twenty-two altogether. Season three has four episodes, season one has five, season two has six and season four seven episodes containing at least one species of rabbit or hare. A rabbit or hare is one of the symbols on Henry’s toybox that appears in every opening segment of the series.

* **SEASON ONE**: Animal Disguises, Animal Senses, Animal Builders, Animal Babies, Animal Journeys
* **SEASON TWO**: Desert Animals, Scary Animals, Animal Records, Animal Pets, Animal Families, An Animal Year
* **SEASON THREE**: Animal Acrobats, Animal Neighbors, Farm Animals, Animal Eggs
* **SEASON FOUR**: Around the World, Polar Animals, Underground Animals, Woodland Animals, Mountain Animals, Scaly Animals, Animal Flight

Four species of leporid appear in Amazing Animals. The only species to appear solely in Amazing Animals is a brief appearance of the Mexican cottontail in Mountain Animals, only identifiable by being larger than the volcano rabbits they also appear with in the same stock footage shot.

As well as the real rabbits, Amazing Animals also includes cartoon Rabbits, which appear multiple times in season two and have single appearances in seasons one, three and four.

### Baby Animals

In the On The Farm episode of Baby Animals, a lop-eared rabbit is the first animal that Bungie the kitten encounters while looking for piglets.

## Total species

As mentioned, nine species of leporid appear in Dorling Kindersley Vision programmes:

* Volcano rabbit, *Romerolagus diazi*
* Desert cottontail, *Sylvilagus audubonii*
* Mexican cottontail, *Sylvilagus cunicularis*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Snowshoe hare, *Lepus americanus*
* Mountain hare, *Lepus timidus*
* European brown hare, *Lepus europaeus*
* African savannah hare, *Lepus victoriae*
* Black-tailed jackrabbit, *Lepus californicus*

## Gallery

Volcano rabbitDesert cottontailMexican cottontailEuropean rabbitSnowshoe hareMountain hareEuropean brown hareBlack-tailed jackrabbit