black rabbit

[jonesboy58]

Hi all
Yesterday morning on my my to work(05:30 on a sunday!!!) there were as usual all the Pigeons and Doves on the roads and the Rabbits on the verges, but among one group of about eight young Rabbits there was one that was jet black. Does anyone know if this is a usual thing or a very isolated occurance as I certainly have not seen this before.
Jonesboy

[zharca]

Hi, yes I think answered here:
black rabbits

I don't really know how rabbit genetics work, but I think the melanistic gene that overlays black on colour is dominant, so it would only need one parent carrying it to get black offspring and you could get just one black bunny in a normal-coloured litter.

I also think that in rabbits this is a "partial dominance" so that if both parents passed on the gene you would get a very dense black, whilt a single gene would give more a sort "tipped" effect where there'd still be a hint of agouti patterning.

We were down at Pulborough on Saturday and, amongst literally hundreds of rabbits, I didn't see a black one so I guess the gene gets into local populations. Did see one on the roadside verge coming home though

[jonesboy58]

Hi there
Thanks for that and I will kepp my eye out for it again as it is right next to where i work. I go out walking around the countryside quite a lot and have never seen one so thats why I was asking. thanks again for your reply
jonesboy

[Gill Catton]

On a train journey from Glos to Newport in Wales, I saw two black rabbits amongst the other wild ones on the regenerating wasteground and grassland beside the tracks.
Oh and another really dark one in Suffolk once too.

[jonesboy58]

Nice one! They look really good out in the wild instead of the usual brown don't they.
Cheers jonesboy

[Paul mabbott]

And squirrels - there are populations of black squirrels around, one famous one in Hertfordshire .... Forest Research - Black squirrels

[Adam Cheeseman]

At Bedfont Lakes CP where I work, one of the warrens regularly turns out a batch of black kittens every year. Haven't seen any new ones yet this year but we still have at least one from last year around.

Cheers,

Adam

[demicav]

I used to keep quite a few rabbits a long time ago and people would sometimes bring me their waifs and strays. One day I was brought a young adult black rabbit that I named Pepe, I still remember her to this day. She was clearly very wild, could not get near her to clean or feed. Realising I could do nothing for her and she had nill chaces of being rehomed I decided to release her into the wild. I've always had my suspision that she was cought from there as she came from a very unreliable source with no background information. I like to believe she was ok.

[Tomgrowscress]

I hope the other rabbits dont tease them.

I like them
I saw one once in the hills near my old house

[SparklySarah]

We used to have a few black rabbits in the orchar opposite us, until they ripped it up. I think they're still around. Quite pretty, but we have a problem with mixy here, so they're dropping like flies. Tis sad to see them like that, especially as they sometimes end up in the primary school grounds mum works at. Never seen a black rabbit with mixy though.