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Adult - A fully developed rabbit of breeding age.

Agouti - A hair shaft that has three or more bands of color. The bottommost color is usually dark slate followed by two or more alternating light or dark bands. The head, feet, and ears usually have ticking, and the eye circles, belly, under jaws, underside of tail, and triangle are much lighter and do not have ticking.

Back - The top parts of the shoulders, loin, and hindquarters.

Balance (Markings) - Markings are evenly distributed over the body.

Balance (Type) - The body shape and conformation. The physical characteristics are an orderly arrangement.

Base Color - The color right next to the skin.

Belly - The belly contains mostly the organs of digestion and extends from the last rib to the pelvis.

Belly Color - The color underneath the rabbit from the forelegs tothe crotch area.

Blaze - The blaze is found on the Dutch breed. It is the white marking that covers the nose and whisker bed and runs along the jawline. It is shaped like a wedge that ends in a point at the base of the ears.

Blemish - A fault in the appearance.

Bloom - The finish of a coat in good condition.

Boots - A term used on Himalayan marked rabbits describing the markings on the feet and legs.

Breed - A class of domestic rabbits which reproduces itself with distinctive characteristics (ex. fur, markings, shape, size, etc.).

Broken Coat - A coat that is in a molt or has guard hairs that are missing or broken.

Buck - A male rabbit.

Butterfly - The nose marking on marked breeds and broken varieties. The "wings" are the colored areas covering the whisker bed, and the head of the butterfly is the area of color extending above the nose.

Charlie - A rabbit in the broken variety that does not have enough color on the body to show.

Cheeks - 1) The sides of the face below the eyes. 2) The rounded color head marking that forms the blaze and carries down along the jaw line on the Dutch breed.

Chest - The front portion of the body between the forelegs and neck.

Cobby - A short and stocky body type which is close coupled and very compact.

Crown - A strong basal ridge of cartilage located on top of the head of lop eared breeds. Forms the ear base.

Dead Hairs - Caused by molting. Hairs that lack life.

Density - How many fur fibers in an area.

Depth - 1) The measurement down from the topline to the lowest protion. 2) Also used to describe the extension of color down the hair shaft.

Dewlap - A fold of skin on the neck acceptable on does of most breeds.

Doe - A female rabbit.

Ear Lacing - The color lining the ear.

Felting - Wool fibers that have become interwoven during natural growth.

Fine Coat - A coat that is too soft and thin.

Finish - The desired degree of perfection in condition. Fully prime flesh, coat, and color.

Flat Coat - Usually a fine coat that lacks density and lies too close to the body.

Flyback - A coat that lies againest the body and flies back to its orginal position when stroked from tail to head.

Fringes - The wool on the ears.

Furnishings - The tassels, bangs, head side trimmings, and fringes on some wooled breeds.

Gestation - How long it takes for a mother rabbit to have her litter after being bred. Usually takes about thirty-one days.

Glossy - The luster, reflection, and brightness of naturally healthy fur.

Guard Hair - Longer, coarser hair that protrudes above the undercoat.

Hindquarters - The rear portion of the body from the last rib, including the loin, hips, hind legs, and rump.

Hock - The part of a rabbit's foot that carries it's weight.

Kindle - When a mother rabbit has her babies.

Loin - The portion of the back on either side of the vertabrae from the last rib posterior to the hip joint.

Loose Coat - A coat that is slipping and breaking.

Molt - When a rabbit sheds it's fur.

Open Coat - Lacks the ability to return to is natural position when storked towards the head.

Pedigree - A chart that is written containing the birthdate of the rabbit and its parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. Also contains additional informations such as color, weight, etc.

Prime - A rabbit that shows great condition of flesh and coat.

Prime Line - A line of fur that develops down the middle of the back and rump, and signals a finished coat condition.

Ring Color - The color of the inermediate portion of a hair shaft in agouti patterened rabbits.

Rollback - A coat that lies againest the body and gently rolls back to its orginal position when stroked from tail to head. Returns slower than flyback.

Rump - The upper, rounded portion of the hindquarters.

Saddle - 1) The entire top portion of the back, loin, rump, and hindlegs. 2) The point on a dutch rabbit where the white fur stops and the colored begins.

Self - A group of varities that covers the entire animal.

Shaded - The shaded pattern needs to show a gradual and discernible transition of a basic color, usually from dark to light. The dark color is usually on the back, head, ears, feet, leg, and tail, then shades to a lighter color on the sides and belly.

Sheen - The shinyness of the fur on some breeds.

Side Trimmings - The wool on the side of the head.

Silvering - Fur that has an appearance of a silvery gloss or luster. Caused by an abundance of silver white or silver tipped guard hair, evenly distributed throughout, to give a shiny or silvery look.

Smut - 1) Fur that looks dark and sooty on the surface. Caused bya large amount of dark guard hairs. 2) Stains on the fur in the Himalayan, Californian breeds, and Pointed White varieties. 3) The nose marking on Himalayans.

Tan Pattern - The head, outside of ears, back, saddle, sides, front part of frontlegs, hindlegs, and upperside of the tail is all a recognized breed color. Inside edge of ears, pea or crown spots, eye circles, nostrils, jowls, triangle, chest, belly, flanks, inside of hindlegs, and underside of the tail are all a contrasting color. A straight line along the flanks shoulde divide the belly color from the body color, and the body color from the contrasting leg color. Brindling or silvering needs to carry around the rump and well up the sides from the flank.

Tassels - The long wool on the tip of the ears on some wooled breeds.

Ticking - Londer guard hairs of a color distinct from the underwool or fur.

Topline - The profile of the hindquarters, back, and shoulders when seen from the side.

Triangle - The area behind the ears that is in the shape of a triangle. Usually lighter in color. Seen in Agouti and Tan Patterned rabbits.

Type - Denotes the conformation. The shape or size of a particular part. The general physical makeup of the rabbit.

Underwool - The short wool fibers at the base of the wool coat.

Undercolor - The color at the base, next to the skin.

Variety - A division within a breed or group. Determined by Color.

Webbed - Wool fibers that are at the beginning of felting ot matting. A losse tangle that can be easily removed by grooming.

Wide Band Group - Show same color on head, ears, body, feet, and tail. There can be lighter color on inside of ears, eye circles, jowls, belly area, and the underside of the tail.

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