Run, Rabbit, Run Trivia Quiz

Answer: North America

Rabbits have only, relatively speaking, recently spread to South America as well. This is the result of what is known as the Great American Interchange when land and water animals from the north began to move down south. This took place when the Panama connecting land bridge emerged from the sea and provided a link between the two vast land masses.

Answer: Dewclaw

The dewclaw can be found on many mammals. It is a vestigial digit. In a rabbit its primary use, in a very minor way, is helping to hold onto small items of food. Rabbits are very careful about food choices as they are one animal that cannot vomit should they become sick.

Their food is passed in two different sized pellets. One is full of vitamins and proteins which the rabbit then re-consumes until all the essential goodness has been absorbed.

Answer: Incisors

Rabbits actually have two sets of incisors. These are located one behind the other. Initially rabbits were grouped in the order Glires, and in the same family as rodents. Later scientists placed them into a separate category from the rodents. However now they have been classed under the major order of Glires again - but in a separate branch to that of rodents.

They're a little like distant cousins in fact. Rodents are Glires-Rodentia and rabbits are Glires-Lagomorpha.

Answer: By thumping on the ground

Rabbits have very powerful hind legs and use these to thump hard on the ground. This sends vibrations and echoes to the other rabbits nearby that a predator is approaching. They also have a wide and excellent range of vision to enable them to constantly scan their surroundings for danger.

They attempt to escape predators by darting from side to side, and are capable, depending on the size of the animal that catches it, of delivering strong kicks from those same hind legs to break free. Their teeth can also inflict sharp nips as well.

Answer: No

Rabbit milk is so rich in nutrient that the babies only have to be fed an average of twice a day. Because it only takes approximately 30 days to produce a litter of rabbits from conception to delivery, and because a littler can produce up to 12 babies at a time, the average female rabbit can have a huge number of descendants in one year.

This is because her daughters are ready to start having babies of their own from the age of six months. It is believed that the average female rabbit can have as many as 800 children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren in one year.

Answer: The way their babies are born

Rabbits build nests and give birth underground. Hares on the other hand build nests on top of the ground. Baby rabbits are born without hair and without the ability to see. Baby hares though come complete with fur and can see from birth. The cottontail rabbit is the one exception to this.

It lives and gives birth above the ground. Hares are also bigger than rabbits and with longer ears and legs.

Answer: True

How clever is that? Not only can rabbits be kept as pets, or bred for their meat and fur, but they can also be trained to go to the toilet as well. Many domestic rabbits provide companionship and affection for their owners. If kept as pets, their pens should be enhanced with tunnels and toys for them to play in and hide.

When picking a rabbit up, it should be supported under its stomach. This is because its spine is comprised of rather fragile, easily broken, bones.

Answer: Myxomatosis was introduced to control their spread

The rabbit was not a native animal to Australia. When it was introduced to Australia on European settlement, it eventually became a dreadful pest, causing vast losses to agricultural crops. The mixoma virus was introduced by Australian scientists in the 1950s in order to curtail the rabbit's unchecked spread.

This causes a cruel and lingering death for the little rabbit. Before all this took place however rabbit meat was so popular in Sydney that its name was even given to one of Australia's champion rugby league football teams - the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Answer: Cuniculture

Rabbits can be easily killed by hitting them on the back of the head. If you wish to know the origin of the expression giving someone a rabbit punch, that was it. Rabbit meat is very high in protein and is not as fatty as beef, pork or chicken meats. However, it does lack some fatty acids which are considered essential for humans, so a diet of just rabbit meat would be inadvisable.

This can lead to a condition known as rabbit starvation. Not only can rabbits be consumed and their fur used, but rabbit manure is very good for the garden. Scientists also believe, because of the rich nutrients in rabbit milk, that this may be able to be utilised for medicinal purposes.

Answer: The rabbits are shorn like sheep

How amazing is that? Angora wool is beautifully soft and fine, and clothing made from this product almost seems to exude an aura of light. The rabbit is adorable to look at as well. It is bred for its hair in China, the United States, Chile and parts of Europe.

This little rabbit can be shorn three times a year. The wool is in very high demand, so Angora rabbits are considered valuable animals indeed.