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Ancestor: Domestic Rabbit

Descendants 2Myh:

Grass-tunnel Rabbit

Size: 45cm nose to tail.

Dietary Needs: They eat very similarly to their ancestors, though choice plants differ slightly between habitats. Both subspecies consume a lot of grass, young shoots of catnip, hemp, and some dropped fruit.

Life Cycle: Reproductive habits very slightly between subspecies.  Extruded Long Rabbits have slightly shorter maturation time and faster reproductive  readiness after finishing raising a litter.  As a result they may have up to three litters a year where conditions are favourable, with a lull in reproductive activity over the winter season. Plains Long Rabbits contend with worse dry seasons instead of a cool winter, and this is cause for pause in reproduction. Plains Long Rabbits babies need more care and time  to grow, and adults reach a greater mass than their cousin subspecies, so two litters a year is more typical. Extruded Long Rabbits also become more independent at a younger age due to having more cover to hide in.

Like their ancestors males are competitive for mates while females are competitive over burrowing spaces. This is especially the case in the North West of their range where mainly the plains long rabbit subspecies resides, where poorer soil depth can make burrowing prohibitive except in a few guarded areas. Although the rabbits live in close family groups, the extended warren might be inhabited with several families in close association. Such extended groups sometimes disband and reform with different unrelated families preventing inbreeding from taking effect.

Other: They have longer, more articulated thoracic vertebrae than before, giving them a longer ribcage (but same rib count as before). The ribs are slightly broader and flatter, as they serve as extra anchorage for the muscles in their back. The lumbar vertebrae also have slightly longer transverse processes closer to the ribcage. They have a characteristic frontwards weaving motion behaviour when navigating through their dense ground-level vegetation habitat, with the hind of the body following the same path as the front during travel without much deviation. This way they don't brush against plants as much so they make less noise.