Native to: southern Europe
 
   
Introduced to: British Isles, Laysan Island, Hawaiian Islands, Australia, New Zealand, and more.
Mode of transportation: Often introduced by humans as pets or food.
   
 

Introduced European Rabbits can have grave impacts on local plants and wildlife. In Australia, European Rabbits compete with native wildlife and damage vegetation. They also prevent trees from growing by eating seeds and seedlings. Feral European Rabbits may have driven several small mammals to extinction, and competed with the bilby (Australia's version of the rabbit) so much that it is now endangered.

 
     
 
    Because the European Rabbit is extremely abundant in Spain, the Phoenicians chose to name the country i-shepan-im, which means "land or coast of the rabbits."  
 
   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Graphics by
Julia Steiman