The rabbit and hare family is called Leporidae. It contains 18 species of rabbits grouped into six or seven genera including the cottontails, Sylvilagus, and Oryctolagus. Leporidae is part of the order Lagmorpha, which contains the hare, the rabbit, and the pika.

Male rabbits are called bucks, and female rabbits are called does. The does are generally larger than the bucks. Rabbits can live up to 10 years while living outside, but rabbits can live up to 16 years or more if living inside. From birth to 7 months of age, rabbits are called adolescents. After the adolescent stage rabbits are called young adults. This stage lasts until the rabbit is one year old. Following this is the mature adult stage, whcih lasts up to the rabbit's age of 5 years. Over the age of 6, a rabbit is called a senior.

Rabbits were classified into two groups by the end of the 19th century: the fur and the fancy. Fur breeds were kept for their fur and for their meat. The fancy breeds were kept for show and are intended to be smaller than the fur breeds.

Rabbits were often classified as rodents; however, there are many differences between rabbits and rodents. One of these is that rabbits have two pairs of upper front teeth: one pair immediately behind the other. Rodents only have one pair of upper front teeth. In all, rabbits have 28 teeth.

Rabbits and hares often are classified as the same animal; instead, rabbits are very different from hares. The main difference between the two is that rabbits are born helpless. Their eyes are closed, and they have no fur. Hares are born with fur and eyes open. They are able to jump minutes after birth! Another difference is that rabbits live in colonies in underground burrows. The only exception to this rule is the cottontail of North America. This rabbit nests on the surface of the earth and is anti-social. Hares construct a smiple nest rather than a burrow and rarely live socially. Furthermore, the hare is almost always larger than the rabbit and has longer ears. The skulls of the two are distinctly different.

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