Rabbits first came to Australia with the First Fleet, and in 1827 there were reports in Tasmania about their growing populations. Fast forward and in 1859 a wealthy settler, Thomas Austin had ...

What seemed like an innocent Christmas gift of 24 English rabbits in 1859 would go on to become Australia’s “most devastating biological invasion,” according to a new study published by the ...

To determine the infestation’s origins, the researchers conducted a genomic analysis of 187 European rabbits caught between 1865 and 2018 in Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Great Britain and ...

The myxoma virus was introduced to control the population of rabbits in Australia in 1950, initiating an evolutionary arms race between the virus and the rabbit's immune system.

Originally bred for meat and fur, the European rabbit has become a successful invader worldwide. When domesticated breeds return to the wild and feralize, the rabbits do not simply revert to their ...

What seemed like an innocent Christmas gift of 24 English rabbits in 1859 would go on to become Australia's "most devastating biological invasion," according to a new study by the Proceedings of ...

"Biological invasions are a major cause of environmental and economic disruption," researchers wrote. " (And) the colonization of Australia by the European rabbit is one of the most iconic and ...