Other species like the bunny are known for their hopping as they leap forward by pushing off from both powerful hind legs at the same time. Sometimes bunnies can jump as high as four feet and a distance of around ten feet with a single hop. There are two kinds of locomotion in animals. Some that plant the soles of their feet in the ground and others that move by only using the toes. Of the two movements, the digitigrade locomotion is the one considered stealthier and faster as compared to the plantigrade locomotion.
It is no surprise that rabbits are digitigrades as this allows rabbits to be highly efficient moving around. As digitigrades rabbits put all their energy to be fast as opposed to heavy. Other examples of digitigrades include cats, lions, and dogs. The morphological shape of rabbits is designed to make them fast. The obvious take is from the shape of its hind legs which are always longer than the front legs. Generally, if a rabbit has longer hind legs it is much faster compared to one with shorter hind legs.
An example is a hare, which is the largest rabbit and has larger feet than most rabbits and hence moves much faster. Most people assume that rabbits are fast because of their small size. However, size does not help to make a rabbit fast but rather it helps with agility.
Because of their small size, rabbits are more challenging to capture and hold. In the wild, the rabbit uses its small size to hide from predators and tuck into small spaces and burrows that predators cannot fit in.
Also because of its small size, a rabbit is not heavy and therefore burns less energy when running as the muscles do not need lots of power to propel them further. It, therefore, makes the rabbit spend less time on acceleration. The muscles of the rabbit are what make it to promote movement and force that enables it to evade its predators. These are good for acceleration and speed and what makes sprinters run very fast. However, there are also two kinds of fast twitching muscles. These are the white muscles which do not use oxygen.
Among the two kinds of muscles, the fast-twitch glycolytic is the fastest muscle. Named for their large, furry feet, snowshoe rabbits can be found in Northern American mountain ranges. They are known for having a snow-white winter coat, which turns brown in the spring. As the name suggests, the snowshoe rabbit is built to be fast in the snow.
Its large hind feet are shaped like a snowboard, allowing it to stay atop many layers of snow. Nimble and quick, snowshoes are also great at hiding in the brushy undergrowth of the forests they call home. These rabbits need to spread their weight evenly across the snow, to prevent sinking.
Nonetheless, the snowshoe can reach speeds of 27 mph. Cottontail rabbits are a common breed. In total, there are about 20 different species under that name. The cottontail is small, and its top speeds can reach up to 30 mph. However, most cottontails only reach a speed of 18 mph. This is because they run in a zig-zag motion in order to avoid predators. Also known as jack rabbits, hares are commonly praised as the fastest species of rabbit. While hares are technically not rabbits , they are closely related.
In comparison to their smaller cousins, hares are much bigger, with large ears and impressively strong hind legs. While their large size does hinder their speed, their massive legs help to compensate. Jackrabbits can leap to heights of up to 10 feet in one single jump, which is only 4 feet less than the average height of a building floor.
They only have a small reserve of energy. They are great at sprints, but fail to maintain speed for long periods.
The European rabbit is native to Europe and Africa, but has been introduced to many other parts of the world. It is known to be an invasive species, negatively affecting the biodiversity of various locations. On top of its agility, its natural predators are also on the decline, worsening its impact as an invasive species. The European rabbit is considered one of the fastest rabbit species in the world.
With top speeds of 45 mph, it is as swift as a jack rabbit. However, it tends to be smaller and lighter, giving it more agility. Despite their speed and lack of predators, the number of European rabbits around the world is on the decline.
Currently, they are listed as an endangered species. This is due to a loss of habitat, diseases, and overhunting. The domestic rabbit comes from a line of wild European rabbits. This species has been found in homes and raised from as far back as the 19 th century. Within this common strand of genetics, there are many different breeds of domestic rabbits.
Skip to content. Nicole Cosgrove. Oct 07 How Fast Can Hares Run? Related Posts. May 28th, Pet Sitting vs. They are typically bigger than cottontail rabbits though some are bred to be smaller.
European rabbits are known to reach top speeds of about 35mph, however most domestic rabbits do not reach these high speeds. Most animals have a more difficult time running uphill than down. Rabbit anatomy gives them a unique advantage in these uphill races. With back legs that are significantly longer than their front legs, rabbits and hares are easily able to leap up hills and inclines.
This means if rabbits can find an incline to run up, they may be able to outpace their fast pursuers and have a better chance of making it to safety. Rabbits are very fast animals, but so are other creatures that share their environment. Running away fast gives them a chance at evading predators, but in order to avoid being captured, their best defense is to hide or keep from being noticed in the first place.
Domestic rabbits are fast. But in most cases they are not fit enough to reach their top speeds. Rabbits that feel safe at home have no need to run so fast. Regular exercise helps to keep them happy and healthy. Have you ever noticed your rabbit race around the room in circles? Maybe they even throw in a weird twisting jump occasionally as they are zooming around the room.
This kind of running is what pet rabbits do when they are very happy. That weird jump that they do is called a binky, and it is literally a bunny-jump-for-joy. The rabbit is zooming around because they are so excited about mealtime.
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