His interest was first piqued when he came across a CottonTail Rabbit one day. As the rabbit skipped away from him, he noticed that since the white tail is the focal point that draws your eye, it disappears whenever a rabbit makes a turn thus, leaving any preditor in pursuit guessing which way the rabbit had gone.
He then decided to experiment using a game. This aimed to replicate the way rabbits move through greenery while being pursued by a predator.
These patches would make sudden turns and the humans were tasked to guess what directions the patches went to by pressing left or right buttons. But, even with a reward and more motivation, the white patch still left the humans confused. This is one proof that tells us that rabbit tails are white because they have proven to be very effective in the wild, otherwise they would not exist. This signal means that a predator is nearby and that all rabbits should scram to safety. Rabbits will do this even if it leaves them very little time to escape.
Rabbits are social animals so maybe they do this to preserve their colony. Pet rabbits use their tail primarily for balance, although not to a great degree. Other mammals with long tails such as dogs and cats depend on their tails for balance but since this appendage is significantly shorter for rabbits, they do not depend on it much to keep them steady.
However, these tails give them stability when doing quick and sharp turns. I was told a first-hand story about a rabbit who had a back foot amputated, and as the bunny learned to walk on three legs, it quickly learned to use its tail in a more obvious manner to balance. To me, this shows that a rabbit uses his tail for balance more than might be normally apparent.
A domestic rabbit also uses its tail to communicate with other rabbits and with their people. A raised tail in the wild means that a rabbit is flashing members of its colony to warn them of danger. A raised tail in domestic rabbits can be a sign of danger or a sign of aggression. This signals that the rabbit is on high alert and is getting ready to either flee or retaliate.
Rabbits will raise their tails just before they growl or lunge. Whether they are scared or angry, they just need a little space and time. A cautious rabbit will tuck their tail and lengthen their body, while they crawl forward with their hind feet firmly planted and their nails digging in so they can flee at any sign of danger.
Dogs wag their tails for a whole host of different and contrary reasons. Rabbits wag their tails when they are annoyed or irritated, not when they are happy to see you. You might also observe rabbits wagging their tails when they meet other rabbits. Perhaps, common sense would lead us to think that having a white or light-colored tail is an invitation from the rabbit itself so that its predator does not lose sight of it; however, the reality is very different.
The small, contrasting colored tail functions as a tiny dot that distracts and confuses its predators. Rabbits can be very cunning and fast. When the rabbit makes a sharp turn during the chase, this point of focus moves and disappears, forcing the predator to refocus on the animal—needing to refocus on its prey causes the predator to slow down, giving the rabbit extra seconds to escape. Pretty much all wild rabbits will have a white underside to their tail.
This feature is the primary defense mechanism they must throw off their predators. However, in domestic rabbits, the coloring of the tail can be a little different.
Although most domestic breeds also have white tails, on occasion, you will find a rabbit who does not. This difference is due to the selective breeding process of domestic rabbits. Most domestic rabbits have been bred specifically to have more unique colors, and this process has affected the tail area as well.
Perhaps for domestic rabbits, which are very happy and safe in our homes, survival is not as important a factor, and in that sense, their tails would be useless. Besides their principal function, rabbits use their tails for other purposes. Next, we will discuss the reasons that make these small cottontails so attractive:. As in dogs and cats, the tails serve to help the animal keep balance when it is in motion. Thus, when a rabbit turns in one direction, its tail will turn in the opposite direction.
This mechanism helps the animal to make a faster turn. Rabbits tails play a vital role in keeping their family safe. They use their tails to send soundless signals to other rabbits or other family members when they need to alert them to danger.
This way, they can escape immediately. A bunny can also flick its tail to let the other rabbits in its group know its current position. One way to understand what our rabbits are trying to communicate is to learn to understand their body language. They can make themselves understood in different ways, and one of them is through the movements of their tail. Let us look at the following examples:.
Nidhi Subbaraman writes about science and technology. IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Politics Covid U. News World Opinion Business.
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