Mi Bunny

There are, in fact, many rabbit owners among us who are proficient in breeding rabbits. But these people too get confused often especially when they identify the color of rabbit offspring. What can be the basic reason of this reverse result? Well, it’s the simple mathematics of genetics. Never forget that genetic determination is based on the law of probability.

Now let’s enter into the subject. It is indeed common to signify a dominant gene by a capital letter and its recessive counterpart(s) as uncapitalized. Take for instance the black/brown color location. This location is called B. The black gene, which is completely dominant, is represented as 'B'. The only known recessive gene that can occupy this location is brown, represented as 'b'. Since a location has two genes, there are 4 possibilities at this location: BB, bb, Bb, bB. Now black is entirely dominant.

For that reason, if you have a rabbit that has at least one B at this location, the rabbit will definitely have black in its fur. In this manner, rabbits that consist of the combination of genes: BB, Bb, or bB will have black in its fur. Rabbits having the combination of bb will have brown.

Never forget that there is the requirement of both recessive genes (bb) at a location for that set of genes to express itself. It may happen that the dominant gene is not completely dominant. In that case the recessive gene will adjust the expression of the dominant gene by some means. As far as the black/brown location is concerned, the black gene is completely dominant and will always express itself, if present, to the exclusion of the brown gene.

With the exception of this there are other genes as well that work with the B gene to determine that actual color of the rabbit. Have you go it? Isn’t the entire concept interesting?