Jumping With Rabbits By Tamara Garcia
Jumping With Rabbits By Tamara Garcia
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Rabbits are Small Mammals
Rabbits are small mammals, in the family of Leporidae. They all have short tails and long ears. Some people have them as pets. They are very popular in the U.S.A (United States of America). Most people confuse rabbits with hares. A rabbit’s litter is born blind and hairless until three weeks while hare’s are born with hair and is able to see. At birth weigh about 1.5 ounces(42 grams). In three weeks they weigh 5 ounces(142 grams). Then in three months they weigh 2 pounds.
Baby rabbits grow up in a few weeks. Then they can take of themselves. At the end of the first week the kits have fur of their own. Male rabbits are called bucks, females are called does, and newborns are called kits. Young rabbits are called bunnies. All rabbits live in burrows or warrens for shelter or protection from other animals. Except cottontail rabbits they don’t make their burrows. The mom makes a warm nest out of her own fur from her underside for her babies. The mom makes the nest shallow, bowl-shaped holes called forms. Every rabbit has a den to live in for shelter.
Differences & Similarites About Rabbits and Hares
The main differences between rabbits and hares are that hares are larger. Hares have longer ears and usually have black markings on their fur. Humans hunt rabbits because they multiply rapidly. There are certain seasons to hunt rabbits. If you shoot a rabbit out of the season you get fined. There are different hunting seasons in each state depending each state’s environment. In each state there is a different fine. People worldwide eat these friendly rabbits as food!!! Rabbit breeders breed rabbits for their meat. In order to kill them, hunters put out traps or simply shoot them. People kill them because we need to keep the population down.
The Rabbit
The rabbit is a very unique creature they multiple so quickly. In the breeding period the a female rabbit can have up to three families. The breeding season is in the beginning of Feburary to the end of September.
Rabbit in the Wild
Rabbits have five senses that they use to survive in the wild touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste. Here are two examples of senses that all rabbits have. All rabbits have the sense of smell to find food or find a mate. Rabbits can see all around them without moving their head but they are unable to judge distance. When a rabbit is being chased it will often hop in a different direction. So the predator will lose speed then it would have lost the rabbit. A rabbit can't walk so they jump. Their hind legs are longer than the forelegs. A rabbits powerful claws help it dig tunnels. The length of adult rabbit ears are 3 to 4 inches(8 to 10 centimeters). Rabbits can leap up to 5 feet(1.5 meters).
Rabbit's Furry Fur
In the springtime rabbits lose their fur. Then in the fall they have more fur than in spring. It gets hotter in the spring; that’s why they shed. It gets colder in fall so they grow more fur to keep their body warm.. People kill rabbits for their soft, warm furry winter coat. Rabbits live just about anywhere in the world. In the U.S.A the rabbits live in every state even Alaska. Rabbits have thick winter coats to survive cold conditions.
