DNA analysis has uncovered how 24 wild English rabbits managed to pull off a giant Australian invasion in the early 1900s - more than a century after the pests were initially introduced. 9News
DNA analysis has uncovered how 24 wild English rabbits managed to pull off a giant Australian invasion in the early 1900s - more than a century after the pests were initially introduced.
Rabbits were first introduced to mainland Australia when five domestic animals were brought to Sydney on the First Fleet in 1788. "We often lack detailed information and accounts on the sources of where animals come from," Mike Letnic from the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UNSW Science said."But in the case of wild rabbits in Australia, they are very well documented as one of the most successful biological invasions in the world."The study revealed that most mainland Australian rabbits came from the single introduction of 24 wild rabbits by Austin.
Austin's rabbits were wild, lacking tame character and fancy fur coats, which explains why the rabbits were better adapted to local conditions than earlier introductions.
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