Rabbits are one of the cutest animals you can find. They are small and furry, and love to munch on everything green and crunchy. You must have seen a rabbit while crossing the road, taking a walk in the park, or your pet bunny playing around the house.
These little guys can be a tad bit creepy at times. Ever noticed a rabbit staring at you and suddenly disappearing? Chills through the spine! However, it makes you wonder about these gorgeous animals. Questions pop up in our heads. For instance, how fast can rabbits run?
A domesticated rabbit runs at 30 to 35 meters per hour. That is an average speed of a pet bunny. However, speed can vary from breed to breed. A rabbitâs environment also plays an integral part in developing a bunnyâs running or hopping speed.
There are 48 breeds of rabbits recognized so far. Each has its anatomy and speed of running and hopping. However, a bunny can run between 25 to 45 meters per hour on average. Many factors are involved in developing a rabbitâs running abilities. Keep reading to learn more about why a rabbit runs so fast!
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Rabbits Hop, They Do Not Run
A rabbit gains high velocity within seconds due to its hopping motion. Bunnies are hopping creatures and use all four legs to sprint away.
The rabbit jumps in the air with its front paws reaching for the sky. The rabbitâs hind legs follow this motion. The rabbit then places its front paws back on the ground and pushes itself forward in a hopping-like motion.
A rabbitâs hopping style is similar to how cheetahs run, which explains the momentum of their movement. Like cheetahs, rabbits know how to walk. However, they dislike it enough never to try it out.
Furthermore, a rabbit is a sprinter. It restricts a rabbitâs ability to hop for a longer time as it gets tired faster than running animals. It is like the difference between a marathon and a race.
In a marathon, people start with a slower pace, but in a race, many begin with full acceleration and get too tired before finishing the race, losing their momentum. Bunnies are the same way; they race.
Bunnies are fascinating creatures. These animals do not slow down when they turn. That is one of the reasons they vanish right before our eyes, leaving us stunned and creeped out at times.
What Makes A Rabbit Run So Fast?
Bunny rabbits are prey animals. A rabbitâs body is fast, agile, and flexible, so it has a higher chance of escaping a predator and surviving. A lot of factors contribute to determining the speed of a rabbit.
A wild rabbit would be quicker than your domesticated pet rabbit due to a difference in environment, diet, and threats.
Here are a few key factors that make any rabbit hop as fast as they do:
1. The Body Structure
Your precious pet rabbitâs body has the anatomy that makes it a quick animal. Rabbits are lightweight and eat hay, greens, and occasional fruits.
Due to this, they stay active and fresh. Plus, a rabbitâs back legs are longer than its front legs. It gives our rabbit an edge to jump higher in the air, gaining momentum to sprint as fast as possible.
2. Movement Style
Animals have two movement styles: plantigrade and digitigrade. Plantigrade is a running style where animals put their whole foot on the ground to the sole. On the other hand, digitigrade is when animals run on their toes.
Rabbits are digitigrade animals, to no surprise. This locomotion is efficient and faster. Plus, with digitigrade, rabbits can focus on gaining momentum and outrunning things instead of being heavy. It works brilliantly for them as they are prey animals.
3. Muscle Formation
Muscles play an important role when it comes to speed and agility. Two types of muscles are present in most living things: fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles.
As the name suggests, fast-twitch muscles are responsible for speed and acceleration. On the contrary, slow-twitch muscles take care of balance and stamina.
Rabbits have a higher percentage of fast-twitch muscles than their other furry friends. Your precious pet rabbit has 45% to 54% of fast-twitch muscles in its body. It is one of the reasons rabbits are so quick, as this percentage is higher than the fastest animal on Earth, the cheetah.
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4. Short Acceleration Time
Most fast animals take time to gain speed, but that is not the case with your precious furry friend.
A rabbit can reach maximum acceleration within seconds, which is why bunnies have a vanishing ability. Furthermore, it helps wild rabbits escape predatorsâ reach while on the run. They can instantly pull their bodies away from a predatorâs grasp.
5. Size
Small animals are quicker, but it has nothing to do with running â the size matters for prey animals to hide and escape predatorsâ sight. Your precious bunnyâs small size can aid your pet when any predator tries to get a hold of it. Furthermore, the smaller size means lesser weight. It increases your bunnyâs agility and makes it easier to hop away.
6. Binkying
You must have noticed your furry friend making a silly twisting motion when it jumps. That silly motion is quite helpful for your bunny. Binkying aids a rabbit in turning without losing its momentum. It is one of the key reasons why rabbits are faster and great at escaping than most animals.
7. Zig-zag motion
When your furry friend is playing with its fellow rabbits, you must have noticed it running in a zig-zag motion. Rabbits run that way to escape predators or when they feel threatened. It does not increase your rabbitâs speed. However, it makes a bunny harder to catch and increases its chances of survival.
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How Can You Measure Your Cute Pet Rabbitâs Speed?
Rabbits are fast hoppers, and measuring their speed can be a task. Unless you have trained your rabbit to run on command, it can be challenging to count the speed of your bunny in real-time. However, in the modern era of ever-growing technology, you can find plenty of ways to calculate how fast your precious furry baby can run.
Here is one of the tricks you can use to measure your rabbitâs speed:
- You can make a video of your pet rabbit zooming around during its playtime. Ensure that the video is a few minutes long so you can take a sufficient distance to measure the speed.
- Take two points between which your bunny has run in the video. You cannot mark these two spots in real-time as there is no sure way of making your bunny zoom between those.
- An average phone camera takes 30 frames per second in a video. You can check yours in your phoneâs settings menu.
- Next is calculating how many frames your bunny took to run from point A to point B. It will give you the time element for your speed formula.
- Speed is measured by dividing the distance by time. So, divide the distance between point A to point B by the time you calculated by judging the frames.
- As a result, you will have the approximate average speed your precious pet has. You can do this experiment as often as possible to eliminate any discrepancies due to human error.
Final Word
Rabbits are fast animals and fun to watch when they zoom around. Your precious pet loves to hop, binky, and vanish away from one point to the other. You might not see so much action if you have a lone bunny.
However, if you have more than one rabbit, watching your precious furry pets zoom, play, and chase each other all day is a lot of fun. Rabbits are hyperactive animals. If you notice your bunny being slouchy and slow, something is wrong.
Recall if you have introduced any new foods to your bunny recently. If so, stop the source immediately. It is best if you call your vet and book an appointment. Keep a sharp eye on your pet rabbit while you wait for the vetâs visit.
Give your bunny calming snuggles, love, attention, head rubs, and back scratches to reduce its anxiety. As a pet owner, it is your job to make your pet as comfortable as possible when it feels sick.
These voiceless creatures rely on their pet parents to care for them and make them feel worthy of their existence. So, get loving the bunnies!