What are the different breeds of rabbits and what do they look like?

Answer 1

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

Sussex

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. Rhinelander's 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.

Sussex

The Sussex, a recent introduction is becoming increasingly

popular. It is named after the county of origin, It comes in two

colors, gold and cream.

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.