S1 17/1 - Raving Rabbids: Australia’s Rabbit Problem

In 1859, European rabbits were introduced into the Australian wild so that they could be hunted. Prior to this, rabbits did not inhabit Australia. Thomas Austin, a wealthy settler who lived in Victoria, Australia, imported 24 rabbits from England, which he let roam free on his estate.

The rabbits multiplied so rapidly (or should I say rabbit-ly?) that it took just 50 years for the rabbits from Austin’s backyard to spread across the entire continent.

Currently, it is estimated that there are around 200 million feral rabbits in Australia.

Which of the following collectively describes the 24 rabbits imported by Austin?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Answer explanation

The European rabbits live and reproduce (unbelievably quickly) together and hence can be considered a population.

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Experts have even stated European rabbits' introduction to Australia was one of the fastest spreading instances of an invasive (meaning non-native to the land) mammal.

Which of the following explains why the European rabbit was able to multiply and spread so quickly?

Select all that apply.

• Suitable habitats are plentiful in Australia.

• The rabbits start to reproduce at a young age and produce several baby rabbits per litter.

• The seasons in Australia allow the rabbits to reproduce all year round compared to in Europe where breeding mainly occurs from January to August.

• There is a lack of natural predators to control the rabbit population

Answer explanation

Option A: Rabbits require soil suitable for burrowing and short grasses for grazing, both of which were widely available.

Option B: European rabbits can produce more than four litters each year, with an average of two to five baby rabbits (known as kits) per litter.

Option C: Winters in Australia tend to be much milder than in Europe where  temperatures drop very low. This allows rabbits in Australia to breed at any time of the year.

Option D: The European rabbit is native to certain parts of Spain, Portugal and southwestern France. In their native range, their populations are kept under control by predators including eagles, ferrets, lynx, martens and mongooses. Since these predators are not found in Australia, the rabbit population has seen an uncontrolled surge.

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Which of the following has been used to calculate the growth of rabbit populations?

• Fibonacci sequence

• Gauss summation

• golden ratio

• prime numbers

Answer explanation

In the Fibonacci sequence, each number is the sum of the two preceding ones.

The European rabbit is considered an invasive species in Australia.

An invasive species is an organism that is not native to a particular area. Invasive species can cause great economic and environmental harm to areas in which they are introduced.

Which of the following is not a consequence of the introduction of rabbits to Australia?

• The rabbits caused an increase in the numbers of introduced predators like feral cats which prey on native fauna, leading to a decline in native fauna.

• The rabbits destroy crops causing Australian farmers to lose millions of dollars a year.

• The rabbits overgrazed on native plants, leading to soil erosion.

• The wabbits inspired Elmer Fudd to give up on chasing his archenemy and emigrate to Australia to pursue his passion.

Answer explanation

I highly doubt that Elmer J. Fudd would ever give up on hunting down Bugs.

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To keep the number of rabbits under control, the Australian government released rabbits infected with myxoma—a virus that only infects rabbits—into southeastern Australia. The myxoma virus was the first ever virus to be purposefully introduced to the wild to eradicate an animal. 

Viruses make use of the resources of their host, in this case the rabbit, to reproduce, harming the host in the process. The myxoma virus leads to myxomatosis, a disease that kills infected rabbits.

Which of the following is not similar to the relationship between the rabbit and the myxoma virus?

• A baby on the train who took one look at you then started to wail loudly for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

• A tapeworm that lives in and obtains nutrients from the small intestine of a human.

• That friend from primary school who always copied your homework and when the teacher asked why your answers were exactly the same, decided to tell the teacher that you copied their work.

• Venom, a symbiote, that possesses Eddie Brock, giving him the superhuman ability to scale buildings and a photographic memory.

Answer explanation

This happens to me a lot. 

Is it just me? 

…

Ok.

Apart from making me feel dejected and overwhelmed with self-consciousness, this does not harm me (at least that is what I try to tell myself). I also struggle to think of how the baby stands to benefit from this interaction. If you figure this out, please let me know.

Please.

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