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An American White rabbit, photographed by Francorios.
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American
History & heritage

One living story. Knowledge kept together.

An American White rabbit, photographed by Francorios. · Francorios · Free use with source link

Place · people · purpose

Follow the story behind the name.

Lewis H. Salisbury of Pasadena is credited with developing the American rabbit's blue form. Its precise breeding recipe was not fully disclosed. Recognition came in March 1918, and an earlier German-associated name changed during World War I. The naming history reflects contemporary politics as well as rabbit breeding.

The American has a characteristic mandolin-shaped body and a historic meat-and-fur purpose. Blue and White varieties belong to its established identity. It should be distinguished from the American Chinchilla, another breed whose similar national name can otherwise confuse article searches.

Original Conservation Legacy teaching · This breed

American: a breed shaped by people

The American specialty club's historian identifies Lewis H. Salisbury, the 1917 Los Angeles exhibition and the March 1918 standard. The same account explicitly questions how confidently the founding cross can be reconstructed. Several blue breeds existed at the time, and Salisbury's undisclosed recipe leaves room for disagreement. This uncertainty is part of the history rather than a defect to hide. A breed can have a well-established modern identity even when its original genetic mixture is incompletely known. Keep the documented exhibition and standard dates distinct from suggested ancestry.

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The original history, identity and conservation teaching above draws on these cited accounts. Official links open the full material for further study.

Keep learning from official information.

These research portals help locate further material. A search link is a route for exploration; it is separate from the sources used for the article above. Domestic breed information, wild-species assessment, historical books and new research need their own context.