The English Spot rabbit is believed to be one of the oldest fancy rabbit breed. The exact origin of this breed is unknown. But it is thought to have come from the English Butterfly.
The breed was developed in England in the nineteenth century through selective breeding. It is thought to be a relative of the Checkered Giant rabbit. Mainly because of their shared physical features, such as colored ears, eye circles, butterflies, cheek spots and a herringbone. But the Checkered Giant is comparatively a larger breed than the English Spot rabbit.
The English Spot rabbit breed has been common in England since the 1860s. And then it was imported to the North America at around 1910. A breed club formally known as the American English Spot Rabbit Club was established in 1924.
The breed is recognized by both the American Rabbit Breeders Association and the British Rabbit Council. The French named the breed ‘Lapin Papillon Anglais‘. However, review characteristics, uses, full breed profile and special notes about the English Spot rabbit below.
English Spot Rabbit Characteristics
The English Spot rabbit is a medium sized breed. They are known for their arched body type. They have two front paws that lift them off the table showing daylight under the belly. Their hips are well rounded and slightly broader than the shoulders.
Their ears are vertical. The legs of these rabbits are long and slender and the hind legs are parallel with the body. The breed is also easily recognized by it’s six kinds of body markings. Which are boldness spots, butterfly, colored ears, eye circles, herringbone and a sequence of spots.
The butterfly marking is a butterfly spot around the nose and the marking will peak in the center and encompass a wing on both sides.
The boldness or the cheek spots marking of the English Spot rabbit are the colored dots below their eye on both sides. The eye circle markings are firm colored circles around both eyes of this rabbit breed.
And the herringbone marking is a straight, solid stripe that runs from the foot of the English Spot rabbit ears to the tip of their tail along their backbone. The coat of these animal is white with colored markings.
The breed has seven color varieties, which are Black, Blue, Chocolate, Gray, Gold, Lilac and Tortoise. These rabbits have a medium build body. And their average body weight is between 2.3 and 3.6 kg. Photo from Wikipedia.
Uses
The English Spot rabbits are primarily raised as pets and show animal. But as a medium sized rabbit breed, it is also suitable for meat production.
Special Notes
The English Spot rabbit is an active and hardy breed. They are noted for being very friendly, inquisitive rabbit breed with an engaging personality. They are very lively and energetic and as an active breed they require plenty of exercise with enough space to run and jump.
They are very playful and display some entertaining acrobatics most of the time. They are usually sweet in nature and are very good with children, and also excellent as pets.
As a playful breed, these rabbits need some toys for playing and exercising. The average lifespan of these rabbits is about 5 to 8 years. But they can live longer if raised in captivity and if cared properly. Review full breed profile of this rabbit breed in the chart below.
| Breed Name | English Spot |
| Other Name | Lapin Papillon Anglais |
| Breed Purpose | Good as pets and show animal. As a medium sized breed, it is also suitable for meat production. |
| Breed Size | Medium |
| Weight | Average body weight is between 2.3 and 3.6 |
| Suitable for Commercial Production | Yes |
| Good as Pets | Yes |
| Climate Tolerance | All |
| Color Varieties | Black, Blue, Chocolate, Gray, Gold, Lilac and Tortoise |
| Rarity | Common |
| Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
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