The largest rabbit breeds in the world are certainly giants compared to the little fluffy bunnies we mostly know.
However, these large bunnies didn't just happen naturally. Many of them originated in different parts of the world and we're made through selective breeding.
Today, there are lots of giant breeds. And as a bunny lover, you might want to learn more about these giants. Hence, this article provides an overview of the largest rabbit breeds in the world right now.
Keep reading below!
By Brent Moore
The English Lop rabbit breed is one of the largest rabbit breeds worldwide. It’s a domestic rabbit breed and was created through selective breeding back in the 19th century in England.
In addition, the English Lops is known to be the first lop rabbit breed that humans developed. And this has probably made it one of the oldest domestic breeds. The most striking feature of this rabbit is its unique long floppy ears.
These ears drop down at an incredible length. It also weighs about 11 pounds. They’re friendly, smart, and love company, which makes them good pet rabbits, even for kids.
RECOMMENDED READING: A GUIDE TO LOPPED-EARED RABBIT BREEDS
This is another large rabbit breed, which originates from France. The French Lop came about through cross-breeding the English Lop and Butterfly rabbit in the 1800s.
In addition, this breed weighs about 10-15 pounds. As Lop bunnies, they equally have long floppy ears. However, their aren't as long as those of the English Lop rabbits.
Furthermore, this large breed of rabbit has a relaxed temperament and gets along easily with other pets and even kids. However, if you’re new to owning bunnies, it’s not advisable to get a French lop. These giant bunnies will be hard for you to manage as a first-timer.
Otherwise known as the German Giants, Continental Giants are also large breeds of rabbits which originated in Germany. The main purpose of breeding these giants was for their meat. And this is so much expected from a rabbit that weighs from 16 to 20 pounds.
The continental giants are descendants of the well-known Flemish Giant rabbit. They’re equally on the list of the oldest breeds of rabbits. These large bunnies also have long straight ears and not floppy ears like lopped-eared rabbits.
Interestingly, this giant bunny is also very friendly and sociable. Over the years, they’ve been popular as pets in homes, bonding well with people, especially kids.
By Øyvind Holmstad - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Giant chinchillas are one of America’s largest rabbit breeds. Their origin dates back to 1921 in the United States when Edward H. Stahl thought of producing a unique breed of chinchilla rabbit.
The Giant Chinchilla rabbit breed resulted from the cross breed between Flemish giant rabbits and chinchilla rabbits. These giants weigh anywhere between 12-16 pounds. Moreover, they have a lifespan of 5-8 years.
When it comes to their physical appearance, their bodies are semi-arched and they have large erect ears. They make great pets for families although they were initially for meat.
These huge bunnies are also good options for first-time rabbit owners. They might be big but they are pretty gentle and obedient.
By Joey_Giant_Angora_Buck.jpg: Oldhausderivative work: Devvyn (talk) - Joey_Giant_Angora_Buck.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0,
This is the largest of the angora rabbit breeds that are recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA). It’s the large wool-bearing rabbit in the world and one of the most expensive breeds. This rabbit can live 7-12 years.
This giant breed has its origin in the United States. An American breeder, Louise Walsh, created the Giant Angora by cross-breeding the German Angora breed with the popular Flemish giant rabbit and some other breeds. These giant bunnies weigh up to 12 pounds on average.
You’ll also know them by their beautiful woolly coat and they also have long erect ears. Above all, Giant Angoras are the friendly and bonding kind of rabbits. So if you get one of these as a pet, be ready to socialize with them. They love it!
By Stamatisclan - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
Flemish Giants are the largest breeds of rabbits in the world when it comes to domestic rabbits breeds. Their origin dates back to the 16th century in Flanders, the Flemish region of Belgium. Moreover, they are traditionally for meat and fur purposes.
However, they are now widely used as pets and for shows. This makes them a universal kind of rabbit breed. It’s amazing how many giant rabbits have come from these rabbits. And this makes them popular rabbit ancestors.
The Flemish Giant rabbit has a semi-arched body and weighs up to 15 pounds on average. However, they can be heavier than this. Additionally, these giant bunnies are obedient and easy-going, which makes them good pet rabbits.
ByThomon - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Another rabbit breed on our list is the Blanc de Bouscat. The British Rabbit Council, but not the ARBA recognizes this rabbit breed. This large bunny’s origin is in France and as far back as 1906.
At that time, a couple, Mr Dulon and his wife decided to make this massive white-coated rabbit. The Flemish giants, Argente Champagne, and French Angora breeds all have a part in the development of the Blanc de Bouscat breed.
It weighs about 13 pounds minimum and could be way heavier than this. Additionally, it’s one of the longest-living giant rabbit breeds as it lives up to 10 years. Their body shape is also semi-arched and their ears are long, thick, and straight. This giant bunny also has a ruby eye making them the albino kind of bunnies
The Blanc de Bouscat was originally for meat and fur, but they are now well-known pet rabbits, especially in France. Even first-time rabbit owners can handle them. They have a sociable nature and are full of fun!
By Kwinterperez - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
This is another huge rabbit breed but a rare one. The Silver Fox has its origin in the United States. In addition, a breeder from North Canton (Ohio), Walter B. Garland, made this giant breed.
The main purpose for breeding the Silver Fox rabbit was for their meat, fur, and shows. Furthermore, the American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes this breed. It also has another name - the American Heavyweight Silver.
Silver Fox rabbits are large and weigh about 9-12 pounds. The idea behind their naming comes from the thick fur, which is a look-alike of the silver fox’s fur. They are also friendly rabbits and enjoy handling very much.
By DestinationFearFan - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
This is one of the largest rabbits with a striking appearance. This Checkered Giant rabbit has its beginning in France. This breed is one of the few breeds of rabbits with a special coat pattern. This is what makes this breed stand out.
This large rabbit breed weighs over 12 pounds. Additionally, they have a lifespan of 5-8 years. The main purpose for breeding it is for shows, which is obvious from their looks. However, they still serve as meat too.
In addition, these giant bunnies make great pets too. They love to roam around and love being outside. They might be giants but have lean semi-arched bodies. They just look like hares.
However, They equally have semi-arched bodies and are quite muscular. Erect ears that are thick and long. Furthermore, the ARBA recognizes two varieties of this breed only. They are either “white with black patterns” or “white with blue patterns”.
Spanish giant is another massive rare rabbit breed in the world. Their origin dates back to the early 1900s in Spain. At that time, some Spanish breeders developed these giants by crossbreeding large Spanish rabbit breeds with the well-known Flemish Giant rabbit.
They were originally bred for meat and this almost drove them to extinction. However, with human efforts, they escaped extinction as their numbers came back on track. Moreover, they have an average weight of about 15 pounds and a lifespan of 4-6 years.
Spanish rabbits have straight long ears. Interestingly, they have great personalities great – calm and friendly. This makes them great pets for families.
By Margaret Clough, CC BY-SA 2.0,
This large bunny has its origin in Belgium back in 1940. Moreover, this breed is a descendant of the Flemish Giants. In addition, these rabbits are mainly known in the UK and more popular in Belgium.
The British Giant resulted from crossbreeding the Flemish Giant standard of different colors. The goal was to create a large rabbit breed with more color variety than the Flemish Giants but still maintain similar features.
However, it’s smaller than the Flemish Giant. British giants have an average weight of 12 pounds and can grow up to 15 pounds. They also live about 4-6 years. Furthermore, they are calm, loving, and even good for families with small children.
By Tjflex2
The Altex is another giant rabbit breed with an average weight of 10 to 20 pounds. The combination of two US states, Alabama and Texas, brought about the name of this breed, “Altex”.
Interestingly, the Altex breed also originates from these two states. This large rabbit breed came about in 1994 through cross-breeding Flemish giants, Argente Champagne, and Californian rabbits.
In subsequent years, the New Zealand rabbit breed became part of these breeds that forms the Altex rabbit. they’re normally white. Neither the ARBA nor the BRC (British Rabbit Council) recognizes the Altex rabbit breed.
Though this breed is mainly reared for its meat, it also makes good pet rabbits for families even if you are new to owning bunnies. You can recognize this breed by its white fur. In addition, matured ones will have grey marks around their large erect ears, noses, ears, feet, and tails.
By Jamain - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
Giant Papillon also called Giant French Butterfly is another giant-sized rabbit, which weighs over 10 pounds. They have full arched bodies with large straight ears – ones that point out pretty well.
Has a lifespan of 4-7 years. However, all that’s left of this rabbit is its history and the many breeds of rabbits that were produced out of it through cross-breeding. That’s right, the Giant Papillon went into extinction.
In addition, one of the largest breeds in the world today, the Checkered Giant, is a close relative of the giant Papillon.
Another upright-eared rabbit that makes it to our list of the largest rabbits is the Hungarian rabbit. These large bunnies are heavy as 11 to 15 pounds. About 200 years back, this large rabbit breed came about.
The Hungarian Giant is a result of the international breeding of different continental rabbit breeds with wild breeds. At first, they were made for their meat, but their great personalities have made them great pets ad show animals.
The Flemish Giant! This is the largest rabbit breed in the world. These bunnies can be as big as 20 pounds in weight.
Amazingly, the rabbit holding the record for the largest rabbit in the world falls under this breed.
Giant rabbits come in different breeds. Here's a list of the large bunny breeds in the world today.
A huge bunny is basically called a giant rabbit. This is the name given to them to differentiate them from smaller rabbits.
And for a bunny to be a giant, they must weigh about 10 pounds or more. In addition, the huge bunny breeds we have today are all domesticated rabbits.
Darius, the biggest rabbit in the world currently, has a massive size compared to any other rabbit even its breed. He weighs about 49 pounds. His body length measures about 4ft 3 in (1.3 m).
This massive size is incomparable to any other large rabbit in the world. He is also a Flemish Giant breed, which is known to be the largest breed. Interestingly, Darius still weighs twice as much as the average weight of typical Flemish Giant breeds.
That’s our list of the largest rabbit breeds in the world. Not only are they big but also they have large personalities. These large breeds can be a bundle of joy to families.
When you plan to get one, make sure you get them from reputable breeders. Breeders who can tell you the age, health status, and other important details you need to know about them.
Owing to their large sizes, they have some special needs. Ensure you can meet these needs before deciding on bringing one of these giants into your home.
Nevertheless, they are still bunnies just huge ones. Hence, you and still follow some basic rabbit needs which you'll find in our full rabbit guide. Click Here!
