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Rabbits
consume a lot of food. Sixteen rabbits consume as much as one sheep.
They thrive in dry-land areas where they feast on
shrubs and tree seeds, such as Acacia seeds. They are normally in groups
of six to seven per hectare. They ha ve
eaten well over 4 million square kilometers of land (the number is rising).
Because, they eat vegetation,
the soil is severely damaged and the ecosystem suffers.
Rabbits are difficult to control because they reproduce so quickly. They
can be pregnant for a month and have four to seven children. In a year,
one rabbit can give birth to 30 to 40 children.
The rabbit competes for food and habitat with other marsupials. Rabbits
have so intensified in number that other marsupials have been displaced.
The bilby was the strongest marsupial, but has been beaten by the rabbits. |