Did you know that there was once an island inhabited by giant rabbits? How about a maritime superstition that a having bunny on board is terrible luck? Check out how...
There Was an Island of Rabbit KingsBack in prehistoric Minorca, giant rabbits strolled the land. Nuralagus rex weighed in at approximately 12kg (or 26.4lbs) dwarfing Oryctolagus cuniculus, the European rabbit.
Nuralagus rex seems to have benefited from the lack of predators on the island, evolving to be larger and losing the ability to hop. Examples of their skulls revealed smaller eyes and ears than you might expect, which suggests that the sharp senses possessed by most rabbits were absent. Despite the surprising size of this beast, it would likely have been quite ungainly and suited only for digging up roots and tubers.
Some of the largest living rabbits today are Flemish giant rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus. These beasts are actually of a comparable size to the extinct Nuralagus rex, but were selectively bred for size by humans looking for meat and fur.
These rabbits have a key role in the dispersion of Balanophora yuwanensis, a non-photosynthetic parasitic plant that steals nutrients from tree roots and resembles a cross between a mushroom and a strawberry. The rabbit nibbles on the plants, consuming their seeds before defecating near other tree roots and spreading the plant - island living breeds some strange lifeforms!
Rabbits Are Born Survivors (and Share a Trick With Sharks)For a supposedly lucky animal, rabbits sure find themselves on a lot of menus. Ferrets, cats, dogs, foxes, birds of prey, bears and even humans eat rabbits - but the creatures have developed a few ways to give themselves an edge.
Rabbits may not be well-equipped to fight a predator, but they are good at detecting them. The standard upright ears found on a wild rabbit functions like an upgraded version of our own, but larger and with independent 270° swivel capability - the rabbit can accurately track two different sounds at once, if need be. Lop eared rabbits (bred because they look "cute") have much worse hearing - their ear canal has a kink in it (like a bent garden hose) and this can act like a natural ear-plug.
Of course, the rabbit can't stay alert 24-7... everyone has to sleep sometime, right? Well, not exactly. Rabbits rarely blink and can sleep with their eyes wide open - this lets them "watch" for approaching predators as they rest. A nictitating membrane (a translucent "third eyelid") of rabbits keeps the eye protected in this state (humans have the remains of one as well, reduced to a vestigial bit of tissue visible in the corner of the eye) and multiple tear glands help keep their eyes moist.
If all else fails, rabbits have one last-ditch trick - one they share with the mightiest sharks. When turned on their back they enter tonic immobility - a state in which all movement ceases. We don't really know why sharks do it, but rabbits are playing dead and hoping that the "predator" that put them on their back drops their guard for an escape attempt. Needless to say, the rabbits are very stressed by being in this state - one should avoid turning them over if possible!
You see, despite their name these rabbits do not restrict themselves to riverbanks. They have been found in succulent-plains and on the sides of mountains as well. Recording the presence of these animals is difficult (they are both stealthy and shy) but camera traps have offered researchers new ways to observe the elusive bunnies.
- There Was an Island of Rabbit Kings
- There's a Living Fossil Rabbit
- Rabbits Are Born Survivors (and Share a Trick With Sharks)
- The Riverine Rabbit is Incredibly Rare (and Drives Off Hares)
- Folklore Links Rabbits to Both Good and Bad Luck
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| Rabbits have a more complicated history than you might think... (Gary Bendig) |
There Was an Island of Rabbit KingsBack in prehistoric Minorca, giant rabbits strolled the land. Nuralagus rex weighed in at approximately 12kg (or 26.4lbs) dwarfing Oryctolagus cuniculus, the European rabbit.
Nuralagus rex seems to have benefited from the lack of predators on the island, evolving to be larger and losing the ability to hop. Examples of their skulls revealed smaller eyes and ears than you might expect, which suggests that the sharp senses possessed by most rabbits were absent. Despite the surprising size of this beast, it would likely have been quite ungainly and suited only for digging up roots and tubers.
Some of the largest living rabbits today are Flemish giant rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus. These beasts are actually of a comparable size to the extinct Nuralagus rex, but were selectively bred for size by humans looking for meat and fur.
There's a Living Fossil Rabbit
Nuralagus rex may be long dead, but the Amami rabbit Pentalagus furnessi is a living fossil. Found on Amami-Ohshima and Tokuno-Shima in the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan, they have a small population (around 5,000-6,000) and are under threat by everything from local snakes to imported mongooses. The animals have comparatively small eyes and ears for a rabbit, meaning they have poor odds against the array of predators ranged against them.These rabbits have a key role in the dispersion of Balanophora yuwanensis, a non-photosynthetic parasitic plant that steals nutrients from tree roots and resembles a cross between a mushroom and a strawberry. The rabbit nibbles on the plants, consuming their seeds before defecating near other tree roots and spreading the plant - island living breeds some strange lifeforms!
 |
| Not as menacing as a shark... (Jeremy Hynes) |
Rabbits may not be well-equipped to fight a predator, but they are good at detecting them. The standard upright ears found on a wild rabbit functions like an upgraded version of our own, but larger and with independent 270° swivel capability - the rabbit can accurately track two different sounds at once, if need be. Lop eared rabbits (bred because they look "cute") have much worse hearing - their ear canal has a kink in it (like a bent garden hose) and this can act like a natural ear-plug.
Of course, the rabbit can't stay alert 24-7... everyone has to sleep sometime, right? Well, not exactly. Rabbits rarely blink and can sleep with their eyes wide open - this lets them "watch" for approaching predators as they rest. A nictitating membrane (a translucent "third eyelid") of rabbits keeps the eye protected in this state (humans have the remains of one as well, reduced to a vestigial bit of tissue visible in the corner of the eye) and multiple tear glands help keep their eyes moist.
If all else fails, rabbits have one last-ditch trick - one they share with the mightiest sharks. When turned on their back they enter tonic immobility - a state in which all movement ceases. We don't really know why sharks do it, but rabbits are playing dead and hoping that the "predator" that put them on their back drops their guard for an escape attempt. Needless to say, the rabbits are very stressed by being in this state - one should avoid turning them over if possible!
The Riverine Rabbit is Incredibly Rare (and Drives Off Hares)
The Riverine rabbit Bunolagus monticularis is found in the Karoo region of South Africa. Considered critically endangered, there may be fewer than 250 breeding pairs left roaming the Earth... then again, there may be a lot more of them than we originally thought.You see, despite their name these rabbits do not restrict themselves to riverbanks. They have been found in succulent-plains and on the sides of mountains as well. Recording the presence of these animals is difficult (they are both stealthy and shy) but camera traps have offered researchers new ways to observe the elusive bunnies.
Interestingly the rabbits seem to get along poorly with hares who compete for the same resources - in fact, hares seem to choose poorer quality territory rather than share with the rabbits. Coupled with their habit of popping up in unexpected locations, perhaps there's some fight left in these bunnies after all?
Folklore Links Rabbits to Both Good and Bad LuckRabbits have been associated with luck for centuries. The custom of carrying a "lucky rabbit's foot" is pretty well known in the west - though presumably the rabbit in question would be considered far less than lucky! The custom itself may stem from African folklore, where rabbits were sometimes depicted as quick-thinking and evasive tricksters.
When the foot charm was in vogue, the best talismans were considered to have been harvested in deeply inauspicious circumstances - at midnight in a churchyard during the dark of the moon, or similar combinations. This may have been using the same logic as used in the hand of glory, a talisman supposed to aid in crime and made using the hand of a hanged criminal. Basically, you wanted something that had experienced the worst luck... to bring you good luck.
One company that definitely doesn't think rabbits are lucky is Brittany Ferries - they refuse to take rabbits on board because of an old French maritime superstition. Supposedly a 17th century warship sunk when a rabbit intended for the cookpot bit through the hull, drowning hundreds of sailors in the process!
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| Rabbits are often associated with luck - which has not always been great for them! (Enq 1998) |
Folklore Links Rabbits to Both Good and Bad LuckRabbits have been associated with luck for centuries. The custom of carrying a "lucky rabbit's foot" is pretty well known in the west - though presumably the rabbit in question would be considered far less than lucky! The custom itself may stem from African folklore, where rabbits were sometimes depicted as quick-thinking and evasive tricksters.
When the foot charm was in vogue, the best talismans were considered to have been harvested in deeply inauspicious circumstances - at midnight in a churchyard during the dark of the moon, or similar combinations. This may have been using the same logic as used in the hand of glory, a talisman supposed to aid in crime and made using the hand of a hanged criminal. Basically, you wanted something that had experienced the worst luck... to bring you good luck.
One company that definitely doesn't think rabbits are lucky is Brittany Ferries - they refuse to take rabbits on board because of an old French maritime superstition. Supposedly a 17th century warship sunk when a rabbit intended for the cookpot bit through the hull, drowning hundreds of sailors in the process!
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