Coat Colour and Fittness of Rabbits on Macquarie Island

Abstract

Agouti rabbits constituted 84% and black rabbits 16% of the 5137 rabbits shot at Macquarie I, between 1973 and 1977. The occurrence of other coat colours was rare. There were no significant physical differences between agouti and black rabbits with respect to body weight, litter size and eye-lens weight distribution. The hypothesis that black rabbits are more robust than agouti rabbits was not substantiated.