Lionhead Rabbit

One of the most affectionate rabbit breeds in the world is the Lionhead Rabbit. Even though the French Federation of Cuniculture does not acknowledge it, the Lionhead rabbit has its origins in France and Belgium. It is said to have been created by breeders who crossed a miniature Swiss Fox with a Netherland dwarf in an effort to create a long-coated dwarf rabbit. Wool developed around the head and on the sides as a result of a genetic mutation that occurred as a result. The "mane" gene is now a common name for this gene. Since the mane gene is distinct from the gene that causes wool coats in wooled rabbits, there are numerous more tales that are similar to this one, such as the Lionshead being produced from a Netherland Dwarf and a Jersey Wooly, but none of them have been verified.

The mane is often thick, silky, and woolly with obvious "crimping." A Lionhead can have either a single mane (one mane gene) or a double mane (two mane genes), depending on how many genes it receives from each parent (one mane gene). When a rabbit is born is the only time you can determine whether it has a single mane or a double mane. A single mane Lionhead will first resemble a regular rabbit, whereas a double mane Lionhead will have a distinct V shape around its skirt/flanks. Since then, a variety of circumstances, such as self- or other-inflicted mane biting and matts, have influenced how much mane each person really ends up having.