Domestic Breeds & Types Codexery

Angora rabbit

Domestic rabbit bred for its long, silky wool.

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Among domestic rabbit breeds, the Angora is one of the earliest groups, raised for the lengthy fibers of its fur called Angora wool.[1] No fewer than 11 separate Angora breeds exist; the American Rabbit Breeders Association officially recognizes four: English, French, Giant, and Satin Angoras.[2]

Biology and range

The iconic long coat results from a rabbit gene referred to as l.[3][4] The Angora rabbit is believed to have come from Ankara, Turkey, and arrived in France in 1723.[1] It was only during World War II that domestic output grew to satisfy a yearly requirement exceeding 120,000 lb.[5] Every Angora breed carries this "Angora gene."[3][4]

The long-hair characteristic results from a particular alteration (T19234C) in the FGF5 gene, which converts threonine to cysteine in the Fgf5 protein.[6] Angora rabbit wool has a silky, soft texture and a diameter of just 14–16 micrometres, making it as fine as cashmere.[7] Each month, the wool of a healthy adult Angora rabbit grows by roughly 3 cm.[7]

What the specialist sources record

The Raising-Rabbits.com account states that the known history of Angoras starts during Roman times, with Romans keeping and utilizing Angora wool since at least 100 BC.[3] That source also notes that Angoras were established in Eastern Europe around 500–600 AD, possibly brought by the Romans, and tribes in the Carpathian mountains maintained herds for their warm wool.[3] The same account reports that the first Angoras arrived in the south of France in 1723, brought by English mariners who claimed the rabbits came from Angora in Asia Minor.[3] The IAGARB standard also notes that the German Angora is judged by seven positions and that the association has no champion or grand champion designation.[8]

Buhr's work "Basic Processing of Angora Wool" notes that the German Angora's fur grows continuously and requires clipping, whereas English and French Angoras naturally shed their coats every three to four months.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Angora rabbit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whitman, "Domestic Rabbits & Their Histories: Breeds of the World", Leathers Publishing, October 2004 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Angora rabbit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ARBA Recognized Breeds", American Rabbit Breeders Association (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. "Angora Rabbit", Raising-Rabbits.com. facts only, no text reused. raising-rabbits.com
  4. Wikipedia, "Angora rabbit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Angora Rabbit", Raising-Rabbits.com; "Angora Rabbit", Raising-Rabbits.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Angora rabbit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hardy, T. M. P., & Dolnick, E. H. (1948). Angora rabbit wool production. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Angora rabbit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fatima, "A homozygous missense mutation in the fibroblast growth factor 5 gene is associated with the long-hair trait in Angora rabbits", BMC Genomics, 2023-06-02, p. 298 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Angora rabbit" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Profiles of 15 of the world's major plant and animal fibres", Food and Agriculture Organization of the (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "Breed Standard - Standard of the German Angora", International Association of German Angora Rabbit Breeders (IAGARB), 3 August 2010. facts only, no text reused. iagarb.com
  9. Buhr, "Basic Processing of Angora Wool", Angora Creations. facts only, no text reused. angorarabbits.co.za

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Angora rabbit (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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