Snowshoe Hare Mix

Question
Can a showshoe hare breed with a domestic rabbit?  My son is a rabbit lover and we purchased a rabbit in Denver that was not wanted by the breeder for show.  The more I look at him the more he looks like he is mixed with the showshoe bunnies that are in that area.  He has very woolly, big feet, and is brown with a beautify white tail.  The hair on his feet is not like fur, it is like wool.  His mother is a mini lop and he has lop ears but otherwise look like a showshoe.   

Is this possible?


Answer
Dear Janita,

Your bunny is probably beautiful and fluffy because of his breed genetics, not because he's part Snowshoe Hare.  The two species cannot interbreed to produce offspring in nature, and I have never heard of a hybrid between the two.  They have very different chromosomes, and probably could not produce viable babies together.  If this bunny was a breeder "reject," then it's even less likely that the bun is a hybrid, since breeders have to follow strict guidelines about the genetic lines of their purebred rabbits.

If you send me a picture of your bunny to dana@miami.edu I might be able to tell you what breed he is, and why he has those beautiful features.  :)  

Hope that helps!

Dana