The Alaska rabbit is a beautiful black rabbit breed. Despite the name, the Alaska rabbit is not from the cold region of North America. Rather, they originated from Germany. Max Fischer of Gotha, and Schmidt of Langensalza created the breed in 1900.
They created the Alaska rabbit breed by crossing Dutch, Havanas, Himalayans and Champagne d’Argents with the goal of obtaining a rabbit that looks like the Alaskan fox, which would be profitable in the fur trades of that time.
They were not able to achieve this goal. And ended up with the black Alaska rabbit instead that is known today. The breed was first shown in 1907. It was introduced into the United Kingdom soon after their development, but became extinct until re-introduced in 1972.
The Alaska rabbit breed was imported to the North America in the 1970s. The breed was first added into the American Rabbit Breeders Association’s Standard, but removed in 1981 after little interest in the breed developed.
Alaska rabbit is recognized by the British Rabbit Council. Today the breed is less popular but not rare. Many Alaska rabbit breeders are available throughout the Europe.
Physical Characteristics of Alaska Rabbit
The Alaska is a medium sized rabbit breed. The breed has a well rounded and balanced body with a solid block type. But their body is not as compact as other breeds. They have good bone development for their size.
The most striking feature of the Alaska rabbit is it’s thick, glossy black coat. And the Alaska rabbits are instantly recognizable mainly because of their coat. In case of most common rabbit breeds, the does become more heavier than the bucks. But the facts are different in the case of the Alaska rabbits.
The bucks are larger and heavier than the does. And the does tend to have more feminine features and are permitted to have a dewlap. The ears of these rabbits are upright and quite short. And the ears are quite broad and rounded at the ends.
It is a self or solid colored breed, and it only comes in one color variety, which is black. Their average body weight is around 3-4 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
The Alaska rabbit breed was originally developed as a fur rabbit. The breed is not rare but less popular currently. But it is still a beautiful breed that is pretty popular in the United Kingdom for showing. As a medium sized animal, it can also be used for meat production.
Special Notes
The Alaska rabbits are usually gentle and docile in nature. They are very calm and affectionate and can be a great pet or show animal. They have a well tempered behavior and are relatively not-aggressive.
Despite having bubbly, outgoing personality, these rabbits are very loving and love human companionship. Although it is a gentle breed, these rabbits can be skittish and they should not be cared for by young children.
Average lifespan of these rabbits is about 7 to 10 years. However, review full breed profile of this rabbit breed in the following chart.
| Breed Name | Alaska |
| Other Name | None |
| Breed Purpose | Mainly kept as a show animal and as pets. |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Weight | Average body weight is between 3 and 4 kg |
| Suitable for Commercial Production | No |
| Good as Pets | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All Climates |
| Color Varieties | Only Black |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
