The Angora rabbit is a type of domestic rabbit bred for its extremely long, amazingly soft hair. Like the Angora cat and the Angora goat, the Angora rabbit is thought to have come from Turkey.
There are five different varieties of Angora rabbits, but only four are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders’ Association:
- English Angora: the smallest variety of Angora rabbit. Wooly tufts on the face and ears give it a puppy-like or teddy bear-like appearance, making it a common choice for a pet. English Angoras come in many colors: white, black, blue (grey), chocolate, fawn, tortoise, chinchilla (silver tipped), sable, and chestnut. The ears fold over just a bit at the tips.
- French Angora: this variety has a wooly undercoat and guard hairs on the surface. The French Angora is a good choice if you want to spend less time in grooming. This breed comes in many colors: white, black, blue (grey), chocolate, fawn, tortoise, chinchilla (silver tipped), sable, chestnut, and “broken” — white with any other color.
- Satin Angora: although the Satin Angora doesn’t produce as much wool as other breeds, it is a favorite with spinners for the silky texture and sheen. Colors include red, white, black, chocolate, blue (dark grey), lilac (light grey), chinchilla (silver tipped), fawn, chestnut, and tortoiseshell.
- Giant Angora: the largest recognized variety of Angora rabbit. Thanks to the size, this variety produces the most wool. Like the smaller Angora cousins, the Giant has the wooly undercoat and the guard hairs; it also has an extra awn (intermediate length) fluff not seen in other breeds.
- German Angora: the unrecognized variety. It looks much like the Giant but has a white coat with ruby-eyes, also known as albino.
The breed was very popular with French royalty in the 1700s and spread across Europe quickly. Angora rabbits didn’t make it across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States until the early 1900s.