Invasive Species: The European Rabbits

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An invasive species is a species not native from a particular ecosystem that is most likely to cause harm to that species. An invasive species can be plants, animals, or even pathogens. A very remarkable invasive species is the European Rabbit, otherwise its scientific name known as the Oryctolagus cuniculus. The European Rabbit is near threatened and native to southwestern Europe and Northwest Africa. In the 19th century Australia introduced multiple invasive species all at once purposely. Ever since then they’ve had a huge impact on the environment. The European Rabbit has had a big impact on numerous locations, but mostly in Australia. European Rabbits survive off a large variety of vegetation including agricultural crops, cereals, cabbages and young trees. However during the winter, they eat grasses, bulbs and bark. The body size of the famous rabbit is 34 - 50 cms in length and 1 - 2.5 Kgs in weight. While its tail is usually 4 - 8 …show more content…
The First Fleet is the name given to the 11 ships which left Great Britain on 13 May 1787 to found a penal colony that became the first European settlement in Australia. The rabbits are decreasing in population due to diseases or viruses. One common disease that causes the rabbits to decrease is a disease called ‘’Myxomatosis’’. It is a highly infectious and usually fatal viral disease of rabbits, causing swelling of the mucous membranes and inflammation and discharge around the eyes. Which started from South America, that only rabbits get. Myxomatosis was spread around by insects; mosquito and flea vectors, which was purposely made brought in by a farmer. Human impacts on the species play a huge role in biodiversity because humans are the ones who introduced it. However, hunting down these wild rabbits can help humans from rabbits damaging lawns, gardens, golf courses, sports grounds, garages, and

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