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Project Noah Nature School
Sylvilagus floridanus
This bunny was hopping across a trail when it saw me. Normally, these guys just dart away, but this one threw itself flat on the ground and froze. It stayed there for a couple of minutes while I took pictures. I considered approaching it, but decided to walk away. I went back a minute later and it was gone.
Spotted on Jun 10, 2012
Submitted on Feb 13, 2013
11 Comments
ForestDragon: Thanks so much for the clarification. I'm glad I got to see such a happy bunny!
Rabbits don't lay down in that position unless they are relaxed. That is a typical position for a rabbit to cool down (my rabbits do that a lot in the summer). Rabbits have a lot of blood vessels in their ears and use them for temperature control since they can't sweat like we do.
A rabbit that is trying to avoid being seen by a predator and is "freezing" would be huddled up in a ball, usually with ears flattened against the body to appear less conspicuous.
A relaxed rabbit will often flop down to rest with feet stretched out. That usually indicates a very chill bunny!
If the rabbit was scampering (as you say). It could have been playing. They will run around willy nilly sometimes. It's good practice for predator evasion and keeping muscles strong, as well. Domestic rabbits do this too (some folks in pet rabbit circles call it binkying or dancing).
I would imagine if this rabbit was running in evasion of a predator, it wouldn't have sprawled out on the trail in the open. They tend to run for cover of brush and freeze.
Though Cottontails are a different Genus than domestic rabbits (descended from the European Wild Rabbit), they share many of the same habits and behaviors.
According to almanac.com (http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/V...), the high in Richmond was 91 degrees. I took this picture after school somewhere between 3:00 and 4:00.
Yes, this is a great discussion. Animal behavior is so fascinating and we have so much to learn!
I don't remember it being a particularly hot day, but I could always look it up. I like the cooling idea--holding the ears up would maximize their ability to lose heat--except that this critter was scampering along at a good clip then very suddenly plopped down as if it were reacting to something that caught its attention. As you suggest, keeping its ears up might be a way to keep track of me (or whatever startled it) without having to turn its head. Then again, maybe it was just the perfect patch of shady dirt for an overheated bunny and it couldn't wait to get down and cool off. In any event, it's something fun to think about.
I was thinking the same thing about the ears. Good thought on listening for "predator." I also read about the cooling behavior, but drpalombella mentioned it "threw itself flat on the ground." Perhaps we do have one confused rabbit..I agree that it seems like a combination of behaviors as a reaction to the situation. Rabbits seem to stress easily.
If this was a defense behavior, I suspect the ears would be laid back across the body to make the animal less conspicuous. It's hard to say what this rabbit is doing, but I've seen other animals sprawl like this in the dirt to cool themselves by making full body contact with the soil. The ears in the upward position might be simply to keep track of you. In any event, this may be a combination of behaviors rolled into this particular situation. Was it a warm day by any chance?
I've never seen this either. Like you, I assume it's a defense mechanism. The fence lizard I spotted (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/175...) did something similar. Usually, they're so fast I can barely recognize them, much less photograph them. This guy was clinging to a log I turned over and stayed absolutely still. You could almost hear it thinking, "I'm not here! I'm just a piece of log!" It almost worked. I was looking for pill bugs and nearly missed it.
Interesting behavior. I have seen many freeze from a sitting position, or even half standing, but never lying flat on the ground. The only assumption I could make is the coloration of the rabbit is the same as the ground, so by lying flat and very still, it may make it less visible to predators in the air, such as a hawk.
If I had a nickel for every time I wished I had my camera with me, I'd be rich and retired--and have a much better camera!
I love it when rabbits do that! Once, I was walking on a trail, and I saw about 4 baby bunnies! They let me get within 10 feet of them! I didn't get any good pics though.