Anatomy of a rabbit: structure of the skeleton and internal organs, physiology, photos

As one well-known Soviet miniature said: "Rabbits are not only valuable fur ...". What else? Let's find out what the rabbit actually consists of and what features it has, especially since very often this type of mammal lives at home. Although there are farms where rabbits are bred for sale or eating.

What does a rabbit look like?

The anatomy of a rabbit is similar to the anatomy of any other animal that feeds its young with milk. The rabbit body has the body itself, the head, as well as the limbs, each of which is attached to the sternum or pelvis. If we consider the structure of the rabbit as a whole, you can see a very short neck connecting the head and body, as well as a short tail.

Two decorative rabbits

Usually, when selecting rabbits for offspring, they pay great attention to proper physique and quality of coat. The rabbit should be with strong bones and the correct shape of the head, developed back, as well as the paw length accepted by standards.

Rabbit anatomy

In rabbits, a rather primitive anatomical development. This can be seen by some signs, such as the spiral fold inside the cecum, the orbital salivary gland, the omentum is reduced, the pancreas is distracted, the inguinal passages are enlarged, the paired scrotum is quite simplified in its function and structure, the penis is directed backward in the male half of individuals, and the female has a double uterus.

The internal structure of the urinary system

In the anatomy of ornamental rabbits, the urinary system is no different from the urinary system of other mammals, except for the smooth expression of some parts of the left kidney and the distant location of the ureters from the neck of the bladder. An adult produces up to 400 milliliters of urine per day, which contains phosphoric, hippuric and lactic acids. Also in the urine, the rabbit secretes up to 300 milligrams of nitrogen and up to 20 milligrams of sulfur.

Sensory organs

The physiological features of the structure of the rabbit and its sensory organs are that they are especially sensitive to ambient odors. Their vision and hearing are several times higher than the quality of the perceived signal from the outside, so they are nimble and fast. The visual qualities of a rabbit are recognized as monocular, which means that he can see separately with his left and right eyes, but binocular vision is practically absent due to the superposition of the field of view of one of the eyes on the field of view of the other in very small percentages. The advantage of rabbit vision is that the superposition of the field of view of both eyes occurs from behind, which means that the animal is provided with a circular view, which also contributes to a quick reaction.

The inside of a rabbit's head

Oral cavity

According to biological studies, the structure of the oral cavity and teeth is very important in the life of all mammalian creatures, since its further existence depends on the correct development. According to the anatomy of a rabbit, when it is just born, it already has sixteen teeth in its mouth. They are dairy, so over time they change to permanent. This happens very quickly - on the eighteenth day after birth.

An interesting fact is that rabbits have two pairs of incisors - front and back, both on the upper part of the jaw and on the lower. Since they are rodents, their teeth are covered with enamel, but not like all rodents - on the one outside, but also on the inside. Moreover, its incisors grow throughout life. There are no fangs since the rabbit is a herbivore.

Rabbit skull

Skeleton

The structure of the rabbitโ€™s skeleton looks like the axial skeleton itself, which is divided into two parts - the spine and skull, the skeleton of its front and hind limbs, as well as the free limbs attached with belts. The weight of the rabbit skeleton is eight percent of the weight of the rest of the body, and this figure is much less than other domesticated animals. But the skeleton of newborn rabbits, on the contrary, weighs more than that of a mature individual and occupies almost fifteen percent of the total mass.

In total, according to the anatomy of a rabbit, the skeleton consists of two hundred and twelve bones, and its shape is very interesting. His spine is hunched and his lower back is extended, the pelvis is enlarged in length, his neck is straight and short, his chest limbs are greatly shortened in comparison with the hind limbs. Such a peculiar appearance is associated with his lifestyle and the need for a quick reaction in the event of a threat from the outside. A similar structure is found in many animals that dig holes.

The inner part of the skull is reduced, and the enlarged eye sockets have a resonating hole. The length of the ears is usually equal to the length of the head, given that the latter is elongated. True, there are exceptions to the anatomy of decorative rabbits when the ears are twice as long as the cranium, and this is due to mutations that led to the emergence of a new species. It is very difficult to notice the cervical spine, as it is short, and in the presence of thick coat it creates a feeling that the neck is basically absent. The knee joint on its back surface has an additional two bones, for more comfortable and faster movement in the jump.

Rabbit skeleton

Limbs and torso

Despite the hunched back and back, their bone structure is quite strong. At the end of the body there is a bent small tail, under which there is an anus, as well as urogenital openings and organs (depending on which gender is the rabbit). The male genital organs are hidden by the skin and covered with fur, therefore they are visible only with a bulging point.

The front legs attached to the sternum are weak, since their participation in the movement is seventy percent lower than that of the hind legs. But the hind limbs, in particular the feet, are endowed with great strength and power. Anatomy of a rabbit in pictures will give a complete vision and understanding of the above. The front legs are only a support, and the hind legs are the main motor element. To complete the jump, the rabbit is repelled immediately by two hind limbs.

Muscle frame

In the anatomy and physiology of rabbits, sufficiently developed muscles are distinguished, the weight of which is half the weight of his body. The muscles located in the lumbar region are especially powerful, since they are subjected to the greatest pressure and load. Rabbit muscles do not have large fatty layers, which usually hide in the intermuscular space, from which rabbit meat is considered tender and melting in the mouth after its preparation. Also, rabbit meat is usually white due to a similar shade of muscles (pale red).

However, there are red muscles. They are in the larynx, oropharynx, and so on. Thanks to the muscular skeleton, rabbits have a well-defined dome-shaped diaphragm. Near the shoulder blades are additional muscles aimed at strengthening the spinal section. Naturally, the strongest muscles are located in the lower back and hind limbs, and the muscles of the lower jaw are well developed due to the ability to gnaw their food.

Digestive system

The internal structure of the rabbit fully reflects its vital activity. So, the digestive system is arranged in accordance with all the rules applicable to herbivores. The contents of the gastrointestinal tract, without additional food, occupies about nineteen percent of the total weight of the animal. Due to the large amount of roughage endowed with fiber, their large intestines are better developed than other herbivorous mammals. In turn, the abdominal region is significantly increased.

Again, due to the ingestion of a large amount of fiber, the structure of the rabbitโ€™s organs has undergone a number of changes. For example, an animal has a highly developed liver, as well as a partially subdivided stomach, and so on. An interesting feature is the bag-shaped formation, where the small intestine passes into the blind.

Solid feed

The length of the rabbit intestine reaches almost five hundred centimeters, that is, it exceeds the body length of an adult animal by almost thirteen times, and a young one by fifteen. This is due to the diet and the food itself, mostly rough.

Another oddity related to the digestive theme of rabbits is eating their own feces or coprophagy. According to scientists, a rabbit can eat up to eighty percent of its bowel movements. Moreover, there is a difference in the feces: it is divided into hard daytime and soft night, most eared use the latter. All this is done to replenish the reserves of protein and other useful substances.

Respiratory system

The lungs, like other vital internal organs, are located in the small thoracic region, so they are all small in size. The frequency of inspiration and expiration of the rabbit is usually equal to sixty cycles per minute, but when the ambient temperature rises to thirty or higher, the rabbit begins to breathe up to two hundred eighty times per minute. If ammonia appears in the air that the rabbit inhales, the animal becomes seriously ill, and if its concentration increases to one and a half milligrams, it dies.

If we consider the lungs in a complex, then they are three-lobed, although the third apical part of the left lung is practically invisible and merges with the heart tissue. Such atrophy is associated with a shift of the heart a little forward. The right one is developed normally, and at its ends it is often possible to meet cinquefoil outgrowths or outgrowths, which suggests compression of the upper pulmonary part.

The cardiovascular system

The structure of the heart of a rabbit is significantly different from the cardiovascular system of other domestic mammals. It is reduced to one hundred and sixty beats per minute, from which the average rabbit lives much less than other cats, dogs and so on. A complete blood circulation in the body of an animal occurs in eight seconds.

The distribution of blood through the vessels, the heart itself, the liver and other organs occurs in the amount of one to four. The total blood in the rabbit's body is from thirty to seventy milliliters. The heart is poorly developed and shifted to the left. It is elongated along the oblique inner part of the sternum.

Rabbit heart

Milk glands

Both the mammary glands themselves and their nipples are skin derivatives and develop only after the female has begun feeding her cubs. The rest of the time they are in a reduced form and hidden under the hair in the abdominal cavity. The number of nipples depends on the anatomy and physiology of reproduction of rabbits, especially the difference is noticeable in heterogeneous individuals. On the female body, the nipples are distributed from the abdomen to the chest, capturing the inguinal wall. Each nipple is provided with one to fourteen milk courses, at the ends they open out.

Until the rabbits are twenty days old, the mother feeds them with her milk, and lactation itself lasts up to forty days after birth. The average milk consumption per rabbit per day is up to thirty milliliters. The first three days, milk contains immunoglobulin and bactericidal substances.

Genitals and reproduction

About part of the male genital organs has already been mentioned. The scrotum, where the appendage and testis fit, is located next to the anus and is hidden under the hair. A lower temperature inside the scrotum, which differs from body temperature, allows you to save sperm seed. The vas deferens is a continuation of the appendage. It stretches through the groin into the peritoneum and pelvic zone, where it turns into an ampoule. The penis itself performs its direct two functions - it releases sperm and excretes urine, freeing the urogenital canal. With an inactive penis, its head is covered with prepuce or skin, thereby protecting itself from possible damage.

In the female, the genitals are presented in the form of paired ovaries and paired fallopian tubes, as well as unpaired - the uterus, vagina and external genitalia. Reproduction of rabbits is possible when they reach four months. At this time, sperm in the male half and the egg in the female are already ripening, but most often the breeders, of course, do not allow mating at such a young age, since the body may not tolerate the load. The case most often occurs at the age of seven months.

Rabbit anatomy

In order to make contact, the rabbit is put in a cage with a male, and two weeks before the upcoming mating, the owners add special vitamin feed to her diet. The male is introduced to the diet boiled potatoes, along with steamed oats. Rabbits are mammals whose estrus is provoked by the time of year and the mating process itself.

In summer, unfertilized rabbits require a male almost every five days, and in winter after nine. This behavior lasts up to three days. According to the structural features of the female rabbit, her uterus is bicorn. This means that you can impregnate a rabbit two times, however, rabbits from the second round are often born dead.


All Articles