WS #6: Run Rabbit Run!
The cache, a small clear plastic tube, is hidden a short distance south of a prominent structure on the riverside trail from where these familiar creatures were seen running in the fields across the river - presumably keeping a close eye out for the overhead threat from the red kites featured in WS#5! Fortunately rabbits can run up to 45 mph, so have a fair chance of escape - if they spot danger.
To reach the cache location: (from the west) park @ or near N 53 54.957 W 1 44.698 on the approach road to the old mill complex and after securing your car, cross the road and pick up the small trail heading across the top of the woodland, down to and along the river.
(from the east) park @ or near N 53 54.578 W 1 43.635 in the lay-by and pass through the gate at its west end into the field and across to the trail running alongside the river.
***Kindly ensure that you replace the cache cap securely
to keep the log paper dry & extend the life of the cache - thanks!***
The European rabbit or coney (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is native to southwestern Europe (including Spain, Portugal and western France) and to northwest Africa (including Morocco and Algeria). There are 6 sub-species of which O.c.cuniculus is the one found here.
It was brought to England in the 12th century by the Normans and kept in captivity in warrens as a source of meat and fur. Many escaped into the wild and eventually become so common that farming them was no longer economic. Because of their fast breeding, a diet of virtually any vegetable matter and persecution of predators, the rabbit slowly established itself in the wild in Britain.
In the 1950s, the disease myxomatosis was introduced to curb their numbers and it almost became extinct. However, it is once again a common animal of the British countryside with numbers increasing, as they are becoming immune to the myxomatosis virus. In some areas it has become a serious agricultural pest for eating and damaging crops. The UK rabbit pre-breeding season population is estimated to be over 40 million!
It is an invasive species because after being introduced to countries on all continents (except Antarctica) it has caused many problems within the environment and ecosystems. Feral European rabbits in Australia have had a devastating impact, due in part to the lack of natural predators there (see Gallery photos).
It is well known for digging networks of burrows, called warrens, where it spends most of its time when not feeding. Unlike the related hares (Lepus spp.), rabbits are alltricial, the young being born blind and furless, in a fur-lined nest in the warren, and they are totally dependent upon their mother.
Much of the modern research into wild rabbit behaviour was carried out in the 1960s by two research centres. One was the naturalist Ronald Lockley, who maintained a number of large enclosures for wild rabbit colonies, with observation facilities, in Orielton, Pembrokeshire. Apart from publishing a number of scientific papers, he popularised his findings in a book The Private Life of the Rabbit, which is credited by Richard Adams as having played a key role in his gaining 'a knowledge of rabbits and their ways' that informed his novel Watership Down.
The other group was the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Australia, where numerous studies of the social behavior of wild rabbits were performed. Since the onset of myxomatosis, and the decline of the significance of the rabbit asan agricultural pest, few large-scale studies have been performed and many aspects of rabbit behaviour are still poorly understood.
It lives in warrens with 2-10 other individuals living in smaller groups to ensure greater breeding success. Territoriality and aggression contribute greatly to the rabbits' maturation process, and help ensure survival of the population. Females tend to be more territorial than males. Territories are marked with dung hills.
The size of its home range varies according to habitat, food, shelter, cover from predators, and breeding sites, though it is generally small - about 0.3-0.7 hectares. Except during times of low rabbit density and abundance of high-quality food, male ranges tend to be larger than those held by females.
It rarely strays far from its burrow. When feeding on cultivated fields, it typically only moves 25 m and rarely 50 m. It may however move as far as 500 m after an abrupt change in environment, such as a harvest. This behaviour may be an anti-predator adaptation, as rabbits in areas where predators are under rigorous control may move three times further from their burrows than those in areas without predator management.
It is a gregarious animal, which lives in stable social groups centred around females sharing access to one or more burrow systems. However, social structures tend to be looser in areas where burrow construction is relatively easy. Dominance hierarchies exist in parallel for both bucks and does. Among bucks, status is determined through access to does, with dominant bucks siring the majority of the colony's offspring. The dominant does have priority access to the best nesting sites, with competition over such sites often leading to serious injury or death. Subordinate does, particularly in large colonies, typically resort to using single-entrance breeding spots far from the main warren, thus making themselves vulnerable to fox or badger predation.
They are an important prey species and are hunted by a wide range of predators, including foxes, weasels, ferrets, stoats, badgers, birds of prey . . . and pet dogs & cats. When they sense danger, they thump their legs on the ground and flash the white under their tails, which alerts the rest of the group so that they can escape to the safety of their warrens.
They are very fast breeders. Does can give birth to up to 12 kittens with every pregnancy, can breed up to 7 times every year and the babies are able to start breeding from the age of 3-4 months. Lifespan is up to 9 years.
See here for more info on this common creature and here for a BBC article on The Truth About Rabbits. See here for an interesting video on the history of the rabbit.
The cache title is common in popular culture and was taken from the title of a popular 1939 song by Flanagan & Allen - listen here. It is also the title of several books, albums and (other) songs, and the name of a Cincinatti band, board game, magic trick and annual extreme endurance race in Colorado! See Gallery for photos of some of the many examples.