24-Carrot Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Not a difficult conclusion to draw, especially when you consider that their diet is vegetarian, the way their incisor teeth are arranged and, generally, their appearance is relatively similar. However, scientists now believe that, while a number of their features are somewhat similar, this is more a case of convergent evolution rather than the two groups sharing a common ancestry. Consequently, they have been re-classified into class Mammalia.

Answer: 2

Lagomorphs are groups of mammals that include (1) pikas and (2) hares and rabbits.

Pikas, with their short limbs, rounded ears and a profile that looks almost egg-like, resemble rodents and, for a time, they were categorized as such. They tend to prefer the colder areas, in particular the mountainous zones, of Europe, Asia and North America.

Rabbits and hares are medium sized mammals with short tails and long hind legs. They're both crepuscular and nocturnal and, to aid them in this, they have great night vision and acute hearing.

Answer: 80

There are some 50 species of hares and rabbits with the most well-known of these being the Arctic hare, the Eastern cottontail and the European hare. Pikas are not as diverse now, as they were in the Miocene era, and there are (only) about 30-34 species in existence today. With the extinction of most of the ancient pikas, we are left with the extant (surviving) genus called Ochotona. These have developed/evolved to thrive in colder and higher elevated environments, predominantly in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

(Footnote) The Red Baron is said to have shot down 80 aircraft during his career. This was immortalized in the 1966 song by The Royal Guardsmen, "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron".

Answer: 360 degree vision

One of the most hunted creatures on the planet, lagomorphs are at risk from carnivores on land, such as foxes and bobcats, from birds of prey, such as owls and hawks and from humans, who may pursue them as sport or treat them as vermin.

Lagomorphs have evolved with large eyes on either side of their heads that provide them with a vision that completely encircles them. Essentially, they do not have a "blind spot". To back this up they also have acute hearing, strong hind legs to provide them with speed and fur covered feet for better traction when moving.

Answer: Herbivore

Their diet is plant based and is built around grasses and seeds, fruits, leaves and herbs and also bark on occasions. And yes, the cartoons showing Bugs Bunny constantly feasting on carrots are true. Lagomorphs love their vegetables, in particular the aforementioned carrots, as well as cabbages, clover and grains. This is important to them as most of their diet is poor in nutrients.

Answer: Hindgut fermentation

Lagomorphs are vegetarians and eat a lot of grasses and plants. The grasses they feast on are poor in nutritional value, hence they need to eat a lot of it. This is where the cellulose could pose a problem. Their solution starts in the mouth. First their incisor teeth strip and shred the grass/plant and then they use their molars to grind it right down. This passes through the stomach and the small intestine where the system makes every effort to extract as much nutrient as possible.

Here's where the ingenious bit kicks up. The foods with the cellulose get diverted to a blind-end pouch called the caecum, while the rest passes through the system as normal. In the pouch those foods are bombarded with micro-organisms that can convert the cellulose to sugar. This is the hindgut fermentation process. The lagomorph will pass two types of fecal matter. The stuff that passes through the normal channels comes out as dry pellets but the stuff that comes out of the caecum passages is moist. The lagomorphs will eat these moist pellets and they will go through the digestive process a second time to get as much from it as possible.

Photosynthesis only occurs in plants. A monogastric digestive system has one stomach and the food source only passes through it once and, as described above, and the end product for the lagomorph is not regurgitated but pushed out the other end of the creature.

Answer: False

There were no rabbits, hares or pikas in Australia until the arrival of Europeans on the First Fleet, who bought some domesticated rabbits with them. They were free of disease and had no natural predators in the country and, as a result, multiplied rapidly. They now represent a pest to the country and cause incredible amounts of damage to its primary production industries.

Lagomorphs are found on every continent except Antarctica. That said they do not dwell in the southern regions of South America and they're also not found on some island nations such as Madagascar, Indonesia or the West Indies.

Answer: European hare

Generally considered the largest, and listed as such by the Guinness Book of World Records, the European hare, also known as the brown hare, measures 24 to 30 inches in length and weighs in at 6.5 to 11 pounds. It is spread through Great Britain, a large part of continental Europe and some parts of western Asia.

It has a couple of close rivals for the title. The Arctic hare comes in at 18 to 27 inches in length and weighs between 6 to 11 pounds. Similarly, in length, the Jackrabbit, the largest of the North American hares is about 24 inches but its weight is significantly less, lying between 3 to 6 pounds.

The pika is the smallest of the lagomorphs, measuring 6 to 9 inches in length and weighing between 4 and 14 ounces. All but two of the species of pika are found in Asia and they have adapted well to living in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas. They are often cited as the highest dwelling of all mammals.

Answer: Coney

Additionally, they have also been called rock rabbits and little chief hares. It has also been called the whistling hare, which is a reference to its high-pitched call made when under duress or attack. A coney is a generic term that was applied to mammals whose habitat is generally amongst rocks. That said, according to Britannica.com, there was a time when rabbits were also known as conies and the term continues to applied within the rabbit fur trade.

Answer: Many are very gregarious

Most lagomorphs tend to live in colonies, in particular rabbits and pikas. These will also rely on their burrows to escape from predators. Hares tend to be a little different. It would not be uncommon for them to go it alone though, generally, they will tend to forage in groups of two or three. Hares also tend to rely on their physical attributes, such as their powerful legs and jinking gait, more than rabbits or pikas to escape danger.

Lagomorphs also have a high reproductive rate and are likely to reproduce several times in a year. Part of the reason for this is to offset their high mortality rate.