The reproductive potential of these fecund mammals preoccupied the Italian mathematician Fibonacci as far back as 1201, writes Ellen Husain.
Pondering the problem in his Book of Calculations, he came up with the Fibonacci Sequence, still used today.
His answer was 466. However, as he was more mathematician than naturalist, his assumptions were not all squarely rooted in biology.
So, we decided to ask statistical modeller Tom Fiddaman of Ventana Systems. Assuming European rabbits produce an average litter of five kits, the offspring are sexually active at three months mature females produce a litter a month, litters alternate between three females/ two males and three males/two females, and none die… there will be 1,182 bunnies by New Year’s Eve.
If that seems like a lot, there would be 345,000 at the end of year two! In reality, disease, predation and variable food supplies keep numbers down.
