Image source: Merlina McGovern
We’re getting close to bunny season, and these fluffy little lagomorphs are starting to overrun my yard. I know these critters are supposed to be all cute and cuddly, but I’ve often thought of them as a bit scary. I think I’ve been scarred by the skeletal, ever-grinning evil bunny of Donnie Darko fame. And, oh god, why did I Google the supposed urban folklore inspiration for that dark bunny, The Bunny Man of Fairfax County (when reading for yourself, beware of dead bunnies and escaped asylum inmates).
Seeing them scurry across my yard at night, I wanted to investigate a little bit more about them. There are definitely a few rabbit facts that inch them closer to the scary column for me.
They’re crepuscular. There is some debate in my quick Google search about whether bunnies are nocturnal or crepuscular (more active around twilight). I have definitely witnessed a rise in bunny activity as the sun sets, and maybe it’s the reddish reflection in their eyes if you catch them in the light of a night light, but seeing those red glowing eyes always creeps me out.
They eat their own poop. Now, I’m not going to go into detail about this fact, and, yes, there are perfectly valid biological reasons why they do this, but, ugh. They eat their own poop. Enough said.
Their incisors never stop growing. Those sharp, sharp little front teeth keep on growing throughout their lives. The other bizarre fact I found is that they don’t have real teeth roots, like we do. Their teeth enamel begins below the gumline, so, according to AZ Animals, “their teeth are exactly the same below the gumline as they are above the gums; a rarity in the animal kingdom.” If you’re not looking to get creeped out, don’t search for images of close-ups of their tiny grimaces around their sharp front teeth — pure nightmare fuel for me.
They breed like…well, like rabbits. The story behind their Australia invasion, and the accompanying photos of massive bunny colonies there are truly spooky. You’ll definitely want to read about how a seemingly innocuous gift of 24 British rabbits led to a terrible, and expensive, environmental disaster. In August 2022, researchers published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where they note: “The colonization of Australia by the European rabbit is one of the most iconic and devastating biological invasions in recorded history.” Not so fluffy and friendly now, are they?
Now, I found one other fact mentioned in Wikipedia that they can catch fire and spread wildfires. It being Wikipedia, however, who knows how accurate that is, but it’s a terrifying image nonetheless.
Ok, so maybe you’re still thinking that their cute qualities outweigh their scary factor. But, given all of the tidbits I’ve shared above, I’m thinking that maybe they might not be too far off from their Donnie Darko brother after all.
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