Editing Rabbit (section)

===Morphology===
[[File:Cmglee Horniman rabbit skin skeleton.jpg|thumb|left|Skeleton of the rabbit]]
Since speed and agility are a rabbit's main defenses against predators, rabbits have large hind leg bones and well-developed musculature. Though [[plantigrade]] at rest, rabbits are on their toes while running, assuming a more [[digitigrade]] posture.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Patrick |last2=Stubbs |first2=Caleb |last3=Anderson |first3=David E. |last4=Greenacre |first4=Cheryl |last5=Crouch |first5=Dustin L. |date=2022-06-17 |title=Rabbit hindlimb kinematics and ground contact kinetics during the stance phase of gait |journal=PeerJ |language=en |volume=10 |pages=e13611 |doi=10.7717/peerj.13611 |doi-access=free |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=9208372 |pmid=35734635}}</ref> Rabbits use their strong claws for digging and (along with their teeth) for defense.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=d'Ovidio |first1=Dario |last2=Pierantoni |first2=Ludovica |last3=Noviello |first3=Emilio |last4=Pirrone |first4=Federica |title=Sex differences in human-directed social behavior in pet rabbits |journal=Journal of Veterinary Behavior |date=September 2016 |volume=15 |pages=37–42 |doi=10.1016/j.jveb.2016.08.072 }}</ref> Each front foot has four toes plus a [[dewclaw]]. Each hind foot has four toes (but no dewclaw).<ref name="van Praag">{{cite web |last1=van Praag |first1=Esther |year=2005 |title=Deformed claws in a rabbit, after traumatic fractures |url=http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Bone_diseases/Anomalies/Nail_kas_en.pdf |publisher=MediRabbit }}</ref>

[[File:Wild black Oryctologus cuniculus.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Melanism|Melanistic]] coloring{{pb}}<small>''Oryctologus cuniculus''{{pb}}European rabbit (wild)</small>]]
Most wild rabbits (especially [[#Differences from hares|compared to hares]]) have relatively full, egg-shaped bodies. The soft coat of the wild rabbit is [[agouti (coloration)|agouti]] in coloration (or, rarely, [[melanism|melanistic]]), which aids in [[camouflage]]. The tail of the rabbit (with the exception of the [[Cottontail rabbit|cottontail species]]) is dark on top and white below. Cottontails have white on the top of their tails.<ref name="Encyclopædia Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |title=rabbit |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]] |location=Chicago |edition=Standard |year=2007 }}</ref>

As a result of the position of the eyes in its skull and the size of the cornea, the rabbit has a panoramic field of vision that encompasses nearly 360 degrees.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Peiffer |first1=Robert L. |title=Models in Ophthalmology and Vision Research |date=1994 |journal=The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit |pages=409–433 |publisher=Elsevier |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-0-12-469235-0.50025-7 |isbn=978-0-12-469235-0 |pmc=7149682 |last2=Pohm-Thorsen |first2=Laurie |last3=Corcoran |first3=Kelly}}</ref> However, there is a blind spot at the bridge of the nose, and because of this, rabbits cannot see what is below their mouth and rely on their lips and [[whiskers]] to determine what they are eating. Blinking occurs 2 to 4 times an hour.<ref name="VellaDonnelly" />