Rabbit hair
Rabbit hair (also called rabbit fur, cony, comb, coney or lapin) is the fur of the common rabbit. It is most commonly used in the making of fur hats and coats, and is considered quite valuable.
The hair of a rabbit can be divided into three types:
- guide hairs: external hairs, long and rough
- guard hairs (also called "barbes"): four guard hairs surround each guide hair, sealing the coat
- down: there are around sixty down hairs for each guide hair; they are very short and barely visible, and serve to insulate the rabbit.
A selectively bred rabbit from the 1900s, the Castor Rex, has guard hairs of the same length as the down, but this is atypical.