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Dwarf rabbit

Breed of rabbit

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Netherland Dwarf rabbit
shogun1192 · Public domain

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Through Selective breeding

Lab · Class 11–12Selective Breeding Lab

Small rabbits

The Netherland Dwarf is the smallest of the domestic rabbits. The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) accepts a weight range of 1.1–3.5 lb (0.50–1.59 kg), but 2.5 lb (1.1 kg) is the maximum allowed by the British Rabbit Council (BRC). The small stature of the Netherland Dwarf was initially the result of the dwarfing gene: dw. Its short neck and rounded face are additional features of neoteny.

Many small rabbit breeds have the dwarfing gene, but the Polish and the Britannia Petite are among those that do not. They have attained their small stature solely through selective breeding of successively smaller generations (a process called dwarfing).

Some small rabbits (often mixed breeds) are a false dwarf, a rabbit that did not inherit the dwarfing gene.

One of the smallest species of wild rabbit is the Marsh rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris), an excellent swimmer that weighs 2.2–2.6 lb (1.00–1.18 kg).

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