Whistling Winds

Rex are known as the "King of Rabbits" because of their unique fur structure. Before this mutation appeared, the rabbit world had seen nothing like it! When the first animals were presented to the abbot Amde Gillet - priest of the village Coulonge in the South of France, the abbot declared these specimens, "The King's rabbits", the Latin word for king, being rex. The first color or variety to be perfected was the Castor (which means 'beaver' in Latin from the original Greek - kaster). In fact, the breed itself was first dubbed "Castorrex". Though the first specimens of this breed were lacking in many areas (health, body structure, etc.), US breeders set about breeding for improvement as well as developing new varieties after the breed first came to the States around 1924. As a result, 'Castor' was dropped from the breed's name, giving it the new moniker of 'Rex'.

The beautiful Castor variety has remained a staple in this breed's make-up. The variety was so named because of its resemblance to the pelt of a beaver - a once highly sought after fur in the USA and abroad. At present the Rex boasts 16 varieties. Amber is the newest of the 16, being officially accepted by the American Rabbit Breeders Assoc., Inc. in October of 2007. Prior to the Amber Rex's acceptance, the Black Otter variety (arguably one of the most striking of all Rex varieties) was accepted in 1988. Otter became an official 'group' with the acceptance of Blue, Chocolate, and Lilac Otter varieties in fall of 2008 - becoming eligible to officially show in February 2009.