How Much Is a Rabbit Worth? Why Ear Length Once Set the Price

26 Rabbit

What determines the price of a rabbit—fur quality, pelt size, or meat weight? If you’d asked that question in England a century ago, you’d have been met with disbelief: “What, are you from another planet?” The length of the ears! It may seem strange now, but that’s how British rabbits were valued back then. In 1879 a record-breaking rabbit made headlines with ears measuring 21 inches. By 1885, rabbits with 24-inch ears stole the spotlight, and in 1919 they were outdone by ones boasting ears as long as 28 inches. In the English measurement system, 12 inches equal 1 foot, and a foot is 0.30479 meters. Just imagine these “beauties” with ears nearly a foot long.