27 September: International Rabbit Day

The last Saturday in September is International Rabbit Day, which exists to promote a healthy environment for pet rabbits and to campaign against the use of rabbits for furs and food. 10 things you might not know about rabbits.

1. There are more than 50 species of rabbit in the world. The domestic rabbit is Oryctolagus cuniculus.
2. The smallest rabbit species are about 8 inches (20cm) long and weigh less than a pound. Larger rabbits grow to 20 inches (50 cm) and more than 4 pounds(1.8 kilograms). The largest rabbit in the world is called Darius. He weighs approximately 50 pounds and is currently 4 feet, 3 inches long, and reportedly thinks he is a dog. His size makes him a very valuable pet, and his owner, Annette Edwards, has him insured for over a million dollars.
3. Rabbits are the third most popular pet in the UK, after Cats and Dogs.
4. Rabbits cannot sweat. They regulate their body temperature through their long ears.
5. Disgustingness alert: rabbits eat their own poo. This is because their diet consists largely of grass and leaves which are difficult to digest, so they eat their poo to get more nutrients out of it. The same reason a Cow chews the cud.
6. In Japanese tradition, rabbits live on the Moon where they make mochi, a popular snack of mashed sticky Rice.
7. In Aztec mythology, a pantheon of four hundred rabbit gods known as Centzon Totochtin, led by Ometotchtli or Two Rabbit, represented fertility, parties, and drunkenness.
8. Rabbits are sometimes referred to as "bunnies". The word "bunny" comes from a separate English term bun, which was used in place of the word "rabbit" in some areas in medieval England.
9. Rabbits are very social animals, and will groom each other. If you're going to keep a pet rabbit you should get two (neutered, of course!) so they will be company for each other. A single pet rabbit will get lonely.
10. On the Isle of Portland in Dorset, UK, rabbits are said to be so unlucky that even saying the word "rabbit" can make older people there very nervous and at one time it would have been possible to empty a pub simply by walking in and calling out the word "rabbit"! To ward off bad luck, if they had to speak about the creatures they would say “long ears” or “underground mutton” instead. This superstition is thought to originate from early quarrying days, when the rabbits' natural tendency to burrow would weaken quarry walls causing potentially fatal collapses.