The European Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus is a species of rabbit native to southern Europe. It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity.

European Rabbits are small, grey-brown mammals ranging from 34-45 cm (13-18 in) in length, and are approximately 1.3-2.2 kg (3-5 lb) in weight. As a lagomorph, they have four sharp incisors (two on top, two on bottom) that grow continuously throughout their life, and two peg teeth on the top behind the inscisors, dissimilar to those of rodents (which have only 2 each, top and bottom). Rabbits have long ears, large hind legs, and short, fluffy tails. Rabbits move by hopping, using their long and powerful hind legs. To facilitate quick movement, a rabbit's hind feet have a thick padding of fur to dampen the shock of rapid hopping. Their toes are long, and are webbed to keep themselves from spreading apart as they jump.

European Rabbits are well-known for digging networks of burrows called warrens, where they spend most of their time when not feeding. Unlike the related hares (Lepus), rabbits are altricial, the young being born blind and furless, in a furlined nest in the warren, and totally dependent upon their mother.

European Rabbits as an exotic pest

European Rabbits (specifically rabbits) have been introduced as an exotic species into a number of environments, with baleful results to vegetation and local wildlife. Locations include the British Isles (from Roman times; as of November 2004 there were about 40 million European Rabbits in Britain), Laysan Island (1903) and Lisianski Island in the Hawaiian Islands; Macquarie Island; Smith Island, San Juan Islands (around 1900) later spreading to the other San Juan Islands; Australia and New Zealand.

European Rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1859 by Thomas Austin an estate holder in Victoria. They soon spread thoughout the country. During the 1950s experiments with introduction of a virus, Myxomatosis cuniiculi provided some relief in Australia but not in New Zealand where the insect vectors necessary for spread of the disease were not present.

See also: Rabbits in Australia for details of it as a pest species in that country.