Like many people, I've been spending more time at home since the pandemic began. I don't mind too much because it means I get to spend more time with my favorite "little man:" my pet rabbit Wally.
Wally has been such fun to have around the house over the last few months, particularly because he is so different from the animals I am used to working with. Our education animals at the Museum are all carnivores: predators hunting other animals. Wally is on the other side of the spectrum as the animal that gets hunted. As a prey species, rabbits have a completely different set of adaptations. Whereas predators are built for hunting, rabbits are equipped with the tools necessary to detect danger and escape quickly.
A rabbit's most prominent feature is their large ears that can rotate to effectively capture sounds from any direction. I have often attempted to sneak up on Wally as he sleeps. But at the slightest sound, his head pops up, ears alert. The tip of his nose bobs up and down as he sniffs for danger and his eyes are suddenly wide open.
In terms of vision, carnivores tend to have forward facing eyes. This gives them a binocular field of view - an area that can be seen with both eyes - that allows them to judge distance, essential for accurately grabbing a moving target.
Wally doesn't have to worry about accuracy when his food (primarily grass and other plants) doesn't move. His large eyes are instead tuned to detect movement. With eyes placed on the sides of his head, he has a nearly 360 degree field of view. He is able to see any potential predators or threats coming from any angle. Their distance isn't important - he just needs to flee in the opposite direction.
I am often amazed at how acute his senses are. When the deer family visits our backyard, Wally often notices their arrival before I do. Having caught a glimpse of motion outside, he stands on alert with an eye on the deer and ears poised to listen for danger.
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