But we do have proof rabbits lived here long before the Romans set foot on British soil. Remains of rabbits dating back half a million years were found at Boxgrove in West Sussex and Swanscombe in Kent. Paleaontologist Simon Parfitt of the Natural History Museum, who worked on the Boxgrove dig, told Show Me all about it:

'We found all sorts of animals - from the tiny ones like shrews and bats to huge ones like elephants. All of these animals were living in the landscape and were buried together.

We also found remains of hares, and a rabbit's tooth. This was quite a surprise, as previously the idea had been that rabbits were living in the Mediterranean coastal regions - around Spain, Southern France and Italy.

We don't know if humans were eating the rabbits at this time - there's no evidence of that yet.'