A young black wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), with a normally coloured sibling
Black rabbits are not uncommon on many small islands, such as here in South Uist in the Hebrides. Melanism is present in all rabbit populations, but in a small population can become dominant. It is also thought that melanism can be less of a disadvantage on an island, as there are usually fewer species of predator to prey on what may be a far more obvious individual. There are also economic reasons. In the Middle Ages rabbits were effectively farmed and black rabbit skins were more valuable than normal brown ones. Black rabbits were therefore deliberately introduced to some islands, in the hope of breeding a valuable commodity, and their genes live on in their descendents
Size: 5574px × 3716px
Location: South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK
Photo credit: © David Sewell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: animal, black, brown, cuniculus, gb, hebrides, island, islands, mammal, melanism, melanistic, oryctolagus, outer, rabbit, scotland, south, uist, uk, wild, wildlife, young
