Fur-Bearing Rabbits

breeds of rabbits whose fur consists mainly of soft, fine hairs (fibers). A breed of white fur-bearing rabbits is raised in the USSR; the Angora rabbit is the most commonly raised fur-bearing rabbit in other countries.

The white fur-bearing breed was introduced in the period 1939–57 on farms in Kirov, Kursk, and Voronezh oblasts and in the Tatar ASSR. The mature rabbit weights 3.5–4 kg. It has long hair, usually 6–7 cm long (sometimes as long as 15 cm), and it produces 300–500 g of hair a year.

The Angora rabbit, whose hair resembles that of the Angora goat, has been known in Europe since the 16th century. Its precise origin, however, has not yet been determined. The adult rabbit weighs 2–2.5 kg and produces 250–500 g of hair annually. Angora rabbits are raised primarily in Great Britain, France, and the German Democratic Republic. They are raised in small numbers in the USSR.