Key: Upright Ears - Normal Fur - Smaller-Size Rabbits

Dutch

• Dutch rabbits are easily identified by their fur pattern - they have a dark-colored body, with a white triangle on the face and a white "saddle" across the shoulders and front legs.
  

English Spot

• Generally white, with markings in black, blue, chocolate, gold, gray, lilac or tortoise (mixed orange/dark grey). 

• Markings are a "butterfly" on the nose, circles around the eyes, dark ears, a "racing stripe" down the back, a spot on each cheek, and spots sweeping down from the shoulders down each side toward the tail. 

• English Spots have an ideal adult weight of 5-8 pounds.
  

Florida White

• The Florida has an adult weight of 4-6 pounds. 

• The body is short, and the back is curved evenly from the base of the ears to a peak at the hips, then smoothly down to the tail. 

• It has "flyback" fur - if you stroke the fur "backward" (tail to head), it returns quickly to a flat position.

Havana

• Ideal adult weight of 4.5-6.5 pounds. 

• Back is curved evenly from the base of the ears to a peak at the hips, then smoothly down to the tail. 

• Neck is short and the head broad. 

• Havanas have "flyback" fur - if you stroke the fur "backward" (tail to head), it returns quickly to a flat position. 

• Approved colors for Havanas are black, blue, chocolate and broken (white plus patches of one of the other colors).
  

Himalayan

• Adult weight of only 2.5-4.5 pounds.

• Short, fine, silky fur has distinctive dark markings on a white body. 

• The markings on the nose, ears, feet and tail can be black, blue, chocolate or lilac. 

• The eyes are pink. 

• The Himalayan is distinguished by a body which is long, thin and "cylindrical" - that is, the line of the back and sides runs straight from the shoulders to the hips, without a large arch upward or curving outward.

Note: The body shape is the key to identifying a Himalyan breed. Many breeds can come with white fur and dark points in very similar patterns. See the Upright-Normal-Pattern-Himalayan key page for more choices

Harlequin

• Harlequin rabbits have markings that look like a medieval jester:

  • Face split down the middle

  • Alternating darker and lighter body stripes (colors go right around the rabbit's body) or bars (bars are offset on one side of the body and the other). 

• Japanese Harlequin rabbits have a combination of a bright orange or fawn color with a darker blue, black, chocolate or lilac.

• Magpie Harlequins have a white or light grey color combined with the same darker markings. 

• Ideal adult weight for a Harlequin is 6.5-9.5 pounds.

Tan

• Tan rabbits have a slim body, with the back curving from the neck down to the tail (this is called "full arch"). 

• Tans come in black, blue, chocolate and lilac variations - all combined with tan running from the bunny's chin down to the underside. 

• The ideal weight for an adult Tan is four to six pounds.

Thrianta

• Bright red rabbit with fawn coloring under its paws and tail. 

• The fur is soft, dense and medium in length. 

• Adult weight for this breed is 4 to 6 pounds.

The following are considered "Rare Breeds", so they are less likely to be found in a pet shop or rescue situation than the breeds above.

Belgian Hare

• There's no other domestic rabbit which looks quite like a Belgian Hare

• It has huge ears, and is much thinner, longer and generally "rangier" than most rabbits.

• It has an ideal adult weight of 6 to 9.5 pounds.

Beveren

• Beverens have an ideal adult weight from 8 to 12 pounds

• Come in blue, black, white, brown and lilac (although only blue, black and white are ARBA-recognized colors). 

• Beverens are "mandolin" shaped, with the back arched from back of the shoulders to ahead of the hips. 

• The Beveren has "rollback" fur - if you stroke the fur "backward" (tail to head), it returns slowly to a flat position.

Blanc de Hotot

• The Hotot (pronounced "Hoh-Toh") are white rabbits with dark "mascara" around their eyes. 

• They have an ideal adult weight of 8-11 pounds.

Crème D’Argent

• Creamy-white fur with a bright orange cast

• Longer orange guard hairs

• Bright orange under-fur, which you can see by blowing on the fur or spreading the hairs apart. 

• Ideal adult weight for a Creme D'Argent is 8 to 11 pounds.

Lilac

• Medium dove gray color fur, with a delicate pink tint on the surface. 

• Eyes are blue-gray. 

• The fur is about an inch long and "rollback", which means it is soft, dense and resumes a smooth appearance when stroked in any direction. 

• Adult weight for a Lilac rabbit is 5.5-8 pounds.