Hey! What's up, Creatures! It's Em.
And I'm back today with another Creature Feature,
the series where I pick an animal and tell you lots of facts about them.
If you haven't already, remember to hit that subscribe button down below,
become part of the Creature Crew, and also hit that notification bell
so that you don't miss a single upload.
Also, this is my educational channel.
I also have a vlogging channel where I upload weekly vlogs
showing a little bit more about my life here at home.
So if my pet life vlogging channel also interests you,
you can definitely find the link to that below in the description box.
You guys are in for a treat because you get to meet Rocky the rabbit.
This gorgeous boy is Rocky, and Rocky was given to us when his family didn't want him anymore,
but also because he chewed through an expensive leather couch.
So that was also another reason they didn't want him anymore.
[slowed-down] Expensive leather couch.
I shouldn't hold Rocky too close because I'm actually very allergic to rabbits.
Of course! Of course I was blessed with animal fur allergies. [Laughing]
Many people mistakenly believe that rabbits are rodents
because they have teeth that continuously grow just like a rodent.
But they're actually not rodents at all.
They are lagomorphs, and they're in the family Leporidae.
Hares and pica, or pika, are also in the lagomorph family.
So rabbits are not rodents, they're lagomorphs.
Rabbits are herbivores, which means they eat vegetables, grasses, and leafy weeds.
But any rabbit owners out there will be able to tell you that one of their favorite things to eat
is clovers. Lots and lots of clovers.
Because rabbits continually grow their teeth,
they have to continually chew to keep them in check and to keep them healthy.
Rabbits can chew up to 120 times a minute.
No! Don't eat my things. Here, look. Eat this instead.
You are a herbivore, not a clothes-ivore. Eat it. There you go.
That's what you're supposed to be eating. It's a treat—Waah! He felt his tree coming. Here, eat it.
Gonna just adjust you so you're actually sitting properly.
Does anybody else like watching their animals eat? For me it's like you're getting nourishment and just surviving!
It's good. To me, it means my animals are healthy when they're eating so I like to see them eat.
I'm such a proud mommy!
To be fair, I'm like that with everybody. Everybody who comes to the house,
I have to feed them, animal or human. It's like, eat. Eat everything!
Male rabbits, like Rocky over here, are called "bucks," whereas females are called "does."
Rabbits are not nocturnal, which means waking up at night,
nor are they diurnal, which means waking up during the day. They're actually crepuscular animals.
Crepuscular. Crepuscular means that they wake up at dawn and at dusk.
Although this report isn't official, there was some research done into how many naps a day
rabbits tend to take, and I believe that report came back as 18 naps a day.
That's a lot of naps.
In America there are around 45 different domestic breeds of rabbit which are recognized.
In the UK and in Europe, it's more like 60.
We don't know exactly what Rocky's breed is,
but we believe he's a Netherland Dwarf cross.
As for Rocky's coloring, he's known as a Silver Marten.
If you know about rabbit breeds,
please let us know what your thoughts are because we don't know 100%.
Now if a group of wolves is called a pack,
and a group of fish is called a school,
what is a group of rabbits called?
A group of rabbits is actually called a "fluffle" of rabbits!
A fluffle of rabbits!
Which is the cutest name ever for a group! I just think that's adorable.
A fluffle of rabbits.
Many pet rabbits are seen performing something called a "binky."
A binky is when rabbits will jump in the air and twist and turn.
Lots of people attribute this to joy and happiness, which it very well could be,
but it's more likely to do with having pent-up energy.
Just the way that dogs will suddenly run around and get the zoomies,
these guys perform binkies.
Imagine a fluffle of rabbits performing a binky.
It's too cute!
The fastest rabbit or hare on earth is the North American black-tailed jackrabbit.
Also known as the American desert hare.
The American desert hare can reach up to 70 kilometers an hour,
which is about 45 miles per hour. Which is pretty fast!
Along with being very fast and having a keen sense of smell
as well as a great sense of hearing
is their ability to see really, really well.
Their eyes are situated on the sides of their heads,
which means that even when they're looking forwards,
they can see almost 360 degrees around them.
So it's very difficult to take a rabbit by surprise.
Predators on the other hand, predators like wolves or hawks,
foxes, weasels, or even us humans, our eyes are at the front.
Which gives us a very precise ability to judge distance.
So typically speaking, a lot of prey animals will have their eyes around the sides of their heads,
whereas predators are usually focused at the front.
Focused.
[Giggle]
In the wild, rabbit dens are called "warrens."
Because of the weather, traffic, and various types of predators,
the life span for a wild rabbit is usually about one to two years.
In captivity, a healthy rabbit can usually live upwards of 10 years.
Given that in the wild they have a very, very short life span,
females have to reproduce young very, very quickly.
Rabbits can produce 1 to 14 babies in one litter, which is an extraordinary amount!
The average litter size is more like 6 or 7.
But they do have the ability to produce up to 14 offspring at a time.
Baby rabbits are often referred to as "bunnies" in popular Western culture.
However, that's not the correct term for a baby rabbit.
The correct term is actually "kittens," or "kits" or short.
Wild rabbit mothers will sometimes bury their kits in their warrens.
She'll then visit these pits once or twice a day to uncover her offspring and offer them nourishment.
So, if you see a mother rabbit burying her young,
don't disturb them. She's just keeping them safe from predators and she'll be back soon.
As far as intelligence goes, rabbits are fairly intelligent.
Rabbits will learn their name, they can learn to come when they're called,
they can learn to spin in a circle, and they can also learn to sit and stay.
They're also definitely intelligent enough to learn who their family members are and to have favorites.
Now Rocky's favorite person happens to be... Danny.
Rocky's favorite person is Danny.
Not me.
[Sobbing]
Rabbits are not typically noisy, but they can stamp their foot to warn of danger.
And not only that—they'll even do it in captivity when they want attention!
Rabbits can also make a very sweet purring sound when they're content.
It's like me when people bring me tacos
[Em purring]
Rabbits used to be used in a lot of traditional magic shows
and magicians were often depicted pulling them out of hats by their ears.
Never pick a rabbit up by its ears.
It's a very cruel thing to do and it's very painful. It can actually result in injury.
In the Chinese culture, rabbits represent the moon.
Some people believe it's because the shadows on the moon look like a rabbit,
but other people say it's because the rabbit is very serene and pure just like the moon.
In the Chinese zodiac, one of the twelve animals is a rabbit.
People who are born in the year of the rabbit are said to be very lucky,
very trustworthy, loyal, calm, and very polite.
There are lots of superstitions and legends surrounding rabbits.
Rabbits are generally thought to be lucky,
but some people believe that if a white rabbit crosses your path, it's a bad omen.
Black rabbits crossing your path are said to be very lucky.
In the UK and in North America, some people believe that waking up on the first day of the month
and saying, "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit," or "white rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit,"
before you say anything else that day will bring you good luck.
If you have a fact about rabbits that wasn't stated in this video,
pop it down below in the comment box and share your knowledge.
Or if you have a fact that you particularly liked in this video, let me know which fact that was.
For me, my favorite fact about rabbits is that a group of them is called a fluffle.
You can't—just—that's too cute.
And that's all we have time for today.
I hope that you enjoyed it and learned something new.
If you enjoyed this video make sure you hit that subscribe button down below if you haven't already,
or if you're already subscribed, think about subscribing to my vlogging channel, Emzotic Vlogs.
Thank you guys so much for watching, and I will see you in another Creature Feature soon. Bye!
Psst! Don't forget to subscribe!