Breed ID Introduction

How do you identify all of these breeds or rabbits?

There are 52 rabbit breeds recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) Every breed of rabbit recognized by the ARBA has distinct features that distinguish the breed from others. These features include ear carriage, ear length, body weight, body type, 4 or 6 class, and fur type. On the following pages, you will learn about them and what grouping each falls into. When working to identify which breed the rabbit is, our recommendation is to look at these basics of grouping. Most breeds have multiple varieties (colors), which makes it more difficult to identify the breed. Some breeds may not even be raised in your area, so the only way to see them is a state-level show or national show or to learn through pictures and videos.

The Breed ID pages are divided into 3 categories:

1. Breed spotlight has videos about many of the rabbit breeds.

2. Beginner's section is aimed toward teaching how to identify breeds through identifying breed characteristics of ear carriage, ear length, body weight, body type and fur type.

3. The advanced sections is aimed toward individuals who will be competing in a breed identification contest. These individuals identify the breeds with the showroom classification (showroom variety/color), 4/6 class and registration variety.

Basics of Grouping

Ear Carriage
Ear Length
Body Weight
4/6 Class
Body Type
Fur Type

Basic Groupings

Ear Carriage

Majority of breeds of rabbits have upright ears but there are some breeds with lopped ears.

Ear Length

Ear Carriage

Ear length varies greatly from ears as short as 1/2" to 25". Most breeds have ear length about 3 inches.

Body Weight

Ear Carriage

Body Weight

Fully grown rabbits vary in size from 2 pounds up to 15 pounds depending on their breed

Body Type

Body Weight

There are seven different body types recognized by the ARBA. In these exercises you will learn how to identify the different body types.

1. High head mount

2. Compact

3. Commerical

4. Upright cylindrical

5. Cylindrical

6. Semi-arch

7. Full arch

Fur Type

Body Type

4/6 Class

There are 4 main fur types and subtypes within one category.

1. Normal

a. Flyback

b. Rollback

c. Dense Rollback

d. Standing

2. Rex

3. Satin

4.Wool

4/6 Class

Body Type

4/6 Class

4 Class refers to smaller sized breeds. Breed shows in 4 classes:

Senior Buck, Senior Doe,

Junior Buck, Junior Doe.

Rabbits are shown as seniors above 6 months of age.

Juniors are under 6 months.

6 Class refers to larger sized breeds. These breeds have an additional age group 6/8 which are rabbits between 6 and 8 months of age.

Breed ID