Bunny Behavior Pop-Quiz

You weren't expecting this, but it's time for a pop-quiz. (Beware, more than one answer may be correct.)

The jackrabbit in photo 1 (above) is:
a) urinating
b) a young adult
c) an aged adult
d) stretching its legs before a race




The jackrabbit in photo 2 is:
a) resting
b) hungry
c) startled
d) looking for a mate




The jackrabbit in photo 3 is:
a) beginning to leap forward
b) spraying urine on a female
c) resuming a normal posture after standing upright on the hindlegs
d) playing




The jackrabbit in photo 4 is probably:
a) suffering from shin splints of the forelegs
b) grazing
c) waking up from a bunny nap
d) cleaning its mouth on the damp grass




The jackrabbit in photo 5 is probably:
a) hopping intermittently
b) running quickly
c) walking
d) posing for the camera


ANSWERS

Photo 1
a) urinating (QUITE POSSIBLE)
b) a young adult (DEFINITELY)
c) an aged adult (WRONG. DEFINITELY NOT)
d) stretching its legs before a race (WRONG. UNLIKELY)
(The animal was born this spring, and is not quite adult size yet. It still has that skinny look.)

Photo 2
a) resting (WRONG)
b) hungry (WRONG. DOES IT LOOK HUNGRY TO YOU?)
c) startled (DEFINITELY)
d) looking for a mate (WRONG. ITS TOO SCARED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT)
(This stance has all the signs of a startled animal -- hindlegs spread, body crouched, and ears forward. The sound of the camera might have triggered the response.)

Photo 3
a) beginning to leap forward (POSSIBLY)
b) spraying urine on a female (WRONG. DO YOU SEE SOMETHING I DON'T SEE? TRY AGAIN)
c) resuming a normal posture after standing upright on the hindlegs (PROBABLY)
d) playing (WRONG)
(Jackrabbits stand upright (bipedally) when scoping out the neighborhood for danger. I think this animal is resuming its normal stance after standing upright. Urine spraying is also a courtship behavior seen in rabbits and some rodents, but that is NOT what you are seeing here.)

Photo 4
a) suffering from shin splints of the forelegs (WRONG)
b) grazing (CORRECT)
c) waking up from a bunny nap (WRONG)
d) cleaning its mouth on the damp grass (WRONG)
(Sometimes jackrabbits graze while kneeling on bent forelegs, just as warthogs do. The legs may look injured, but they aren't.)

Photo 5
a) hopping intermittently (DOUBTFUL)
b) running quickly (MOST PROBABLY)
c) walking (WRONG)
d) posing for the camera (WRONG)
(Looks to me like this animal is running (technically, galloping), but doesn't appear to running "full-speed ahead".

If you answered all the questions right, you have wasted a lot of time watching animals and you have a healthy dose of biophilia.
If you answered them all wrong, you were probably thinking this was about two-legged bunnies.
If you answered one or two correctly, you need to spend more time out-of-doors.