Facts about Rabbits
Rabbits live in environments ranging from desert to tropical forest and wetland. Their ears can measure more than 10 cm (4 in) long. Rabbits are incapable of vomiting due to the physiology of their digestive system. Their long ears are most likely an adaptation for detecting predators. Rabbits are hindgut digesters. This means that most of their digestion takes place in their large intestine and cecum. In rabbits, the cecum is about 10 times bigger than the stomach, and it, along with the large intestine, makes up roughly 40% of the rabbit's digestive tract. Cecotropes, sometimes called "night feces", come from the cecum and are high in minerals, vitamins and proteins that are necessary to the rabbit's health. Rabbits eat these to meet their nutritional requirements. Did you know that a public house full of people on Isle of Portland in Dorset, UK, can be cleared of people by calling out the word "RABBIT". The reason for this is that the rabbit is said to be unlucky and speaking its name can cause upset with older residents. This is thought to date back to early times in the quarrying industry, where piles of extracted stone (not fit for sale) were built into tall rough walls (to save space) directly behind the working quarry face; the rabbit's natural tendency to burrow would weaken these "walls" and cause collapse, often resulting in injuries or even death. The name rabbit is often substituted with words such as “long ears” or “underground mutton”, so as not to have to say the actual word and bring bad luck to oneself. Rabbits have long, powerful hind legs and a short tail. Their diet contains large amounts of cellulose, which is hard to digest. Rabbits solve this problem by passing two distinct types of feces: hard droppings and soft black viscous pellets, the latter of which are "immediately eaten". Mothers are remarkably inattentive to their young and are almost absentee parents, commonly nursing their young only once per day and for just a few minutes. To overcome this lack of attention, the milk of rabbits is highly nutritious and among the richest of that of all mammals. The smallest breed of rabbit is the pygmy rabbit. Rabbits vary alot in sizes; the smallest(pygmy rabbit) measures only 20 cm in length and 0.4 kg (0.9 pound) in weight, while the largest grow to 50 cm and more than 2 kg. In Aztec mythology, a pantheon of four hundred rabbit gods known as Centzon Totochtin, led by Ometotchtli or Two Rabbit, represented fertility, parties, and drunkenness. In Japanese tradition, rabbits live on the Moon where they make mochi, the popular snack of mashed sticky rice. This comes from interpreting the pattern of dark patches on the moon as a rabbit standing on tiptoes on the left pounding on an usu, a Japanese mortar (See also: Moon rabbit). A popular culture manifestation of this tradition can be found in the character title character of Sailor Moon, whose name is Usagi Tsukino, a Japanese pun on the words "rabbit of the moon." All rabbits do not dig burrows. Nonburrowing rabbits make surface nests called forms, generally under dense protective cover. Instead of sound, scent seems to play a predominant role in the communication systems of most rabbits; they possess well-developed glands throughout their body and rub them on fixed objects to convey group identity, sex, age, social and reproductive status, and territory ownership. Rabbits generally are able to breed at a young age. In Jewish folklore, rabbits (shfanim) are associated with cowardice. In Ugandan folklore, Shufti the rabit was the leader of the peoples when the sun God burnt the crops to the ground after the skull of the golden albatross was left out on the plains on the first day of the year. Rabbit meat is a source of high quality protein. Rabbits are herbivores who feed by grazing on grass, forbs, and leafy weeds. Their fur is generally long and soft, and its color ranges through shades of brown, gray, and buff. A Korean myth presents rabbits living on the moon making rice cakes (Tteok in Korean). In Native American Ojibwe mythology, Nanabozho, or Great Rabbit, is an important deity related to the creation of the world. Many regularly conceive litters of up to seven young, often doing so four or five times a year due to the fact that a rabbit's gestation period is only 28 to 31 days. When chased or attacked by a predator, they can attain speeds up to 48 km [30 miles] per hour. In Chinese literature, rabbits accompany Chang'e on the Moon. Also associated with the Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year), rabbits are also one of the twelve celestial animals in the Chinese Zodiac for the Chinese calendar. It is interesting to note that the Vietnamese lunar new year replaced the rabbit with a cat in their calendar, as rabbits did not inhabit Vietnam. In the folklore of the United States, a rabbit's foot is frequently carried as an amulet, and is often used on key-chains, where it is thought to bring luck. The practice derives from the system of African-American folk magic called hoodoo. Their young grow rapidly, and most are weaned in about a month. Newborn rabbits are naked, blind, and helpless at birth. Myxomatosis, Coccidiosis and Pasteurellosis are common diseases amongst rabbits. Rabbits are a favorite food item of large pythons, such as Burmese pythons and reticulated pythons, both in the wild, as well as pet pythons. Rabbits run in a zigzag pattern when being chased, making it difficult for the predator to follow its scent. Rabbits can then be killed by hitting the back of their heads, a practice from which the term rabbit punch is derived. "Bugs Bunny" is a famous fictional rabbit. It was commonly believed that pregnancy tests were based on the idea that a rabbit would die if injected with a pregnant woman's urine. This is not true. However, in the 1920s it was discovered that if the urine contained the hCG, a hormone found in the bodies of pregnant women, the rabbit would display ovarian changes. The rabbit would then be killed to have its ovaries inspected, but the death of the rabbit was not the indicator of the results. Later revisions of the test allowed technicians to inspect the ovaries without killing the animal. A Vietnamese mythological story portrays the rabbit of innocence and youthfulness. The Gods of the myth are shown to be hunting and killing rabbits to show off their power. |
SEARCH
Sponsors
Related Links |