breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
of
domestic
Domestic may refer to:
In the home
* Anything relating to the human home or family
** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication
** A domestic appliance, or home appliance
** A domestic partnership
** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
agricultural show
An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, breed ...
s, they are also regarded as "loveable and charming"
pet
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence, ...
The Silver Marten is a medium-sized rabbit that weighs between 6.5 and 8.5 lbs. when fully grown. They are hardy and have fur that is described as soft "with a beautiful polished look to it". While more timid than some larger breeds of rabbit, they are still considered an excellent pet. The Silver Marten is playful, enjoys romping around, and likes playthings it can toss around its
cage
A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayin ...
.
History
Early breeders of
Chinchilla rabbit Chinchilla rabbits are a group of three rabbit breeds that have been bred for a coat that resembles that of chinchillas. Despite their name, they are not related to and cannot interbreed with chinchillas, which are a species of rodent. Rabbits are l ...
s, a
breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...
listed as critical on the
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as "h ...
Conservation Priority List, attempted to improve Chinchilla rabbits' color and pattern by introducing black and tan bloodlines. These
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
s later manifested as black "
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
" described as "strange little black rabbits" as well as similar silver rabbits among standard Chinchilla rabbit
litter
Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, ...
s. These oddities bred true and were named as a separate breed, the "Silver Marten", in 1924.Silver Marten Rabbit Club /ref>
In 1927, a working standard for black and chocolate varieties was established by the
American Rabbit Breeders' Association
The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) is a national club for domestic rabbit and cavy breeders. The ARBA is headquartered in Knox, Pennsylvania in the United States. Its membership is composed of rabbit and cavy breeders throughout, fanc ...
and the first Silver Marten Club was chartered. A blue variety of this breed was accepted in 1933. The sable variety, the last to be approved, was accepted in 1993.
Varieties
*Black Silver Marten is the most popular variety of the breed. Specimens should be jet black color, its
fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
being black as far down the
hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
as possible, with contrasting silver markings that are shape and defined. A Black Silver Marten should have dark brown
eyes
Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...
and an underside of dark slate blue.
*Blue Silver Marten is the second most popular breed. Their color should be an even dark "blue" everywhere. Their eyes should be bluish gray. Sharp markings in the blue variety are often slower to fully develop than in the Blue Silver Marten.
*Chocolate Silver Martens should be a rich, dark brown color "like semi-sweet rather than
milk chocolate
Milk chocolate is a solid chocolate confectionery containing cocoa, sugar and milk. Chocolate was originally sold and consumed as a beverage in pre-Columbian times, and upon its introduction to Western Europe. Major milk chocolate producers incl ...
candy
Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English
Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...
" and brown eyes. Their bellies are the same color but lighter, with pigment only at the tips of the fur. Breeders say that their fur has a tendency to fade over time, especially if given much
sunlight
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when t ...
.
*Sable Silver Martens, the last variety of the breed to be approved, are the least common. They should be medium
sepia
Sepia may refer to:
Biology
* ''Sepia'' (genus), a genus of cuttlefish
Color
* Sepia (color), a reddish-brown color
* Sepia tone, a photography technique
Music
* ''Sepia'', a 2001 album by Coco Mbassi
* ''Sepia'' (album) by Yu Takahashi
* " ...
brown "on the saddle, shading evenly down the sides to a lighter color". The rabbit's ears, face, tail, outside of the feet, and lower legs should be very dark sepia brown, nearly black, that provides a distinct contrast to the color of the body. Correctly colored sables must be a silvery color at birth, but as they age they take on a blotchy appearance. The coat typically darkens throughout the rabbit's lifetime, each successive
molt
In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...
reducing the contrast with the points.
Silver Marten are a compatible breed for introducing color into
Dwarf Rabbit
Dwarf rabbit refers either (formally) to a rabbit with the dwarfing Cuniculture#Genetics, gene, or (informally) to any small breed of domestic rabbit or specimen thereof, or (colloquially) to any small rabbit. Dwarfism is a genetic condition that ...
List of rabbit breeds
As of 2017, there were at least 305 breeds of domestic rabbit in 70 countries around the world. A rabbit breed is a distinct variety created through selective breeding (or occasionally natural selection) for specific characteristics, including si ...