Why are rabbits’ ears so long? (It’s not about hearing)

Every pet deserves a loving and respectful home: please only consider acquiring a pet if you will be able to take care of its long-term needs. Also, consider choosing your animal companion from a shelter, where there are so many wonderful furry friends who need a forever home.

One of the most characteristic features of rabbits are their long ears, and we may attribute this length to evolution increasing bunnies’ hearing powers, to alert them to dangers and predators.

But in fact, their ears’ length is not an adaptation to boost hearing (that falls to the cup-shape and rotatability of their ears), explains YouTuber Amy aka ‘The Bunny Lady’. The length of rabbit and hare ears is an adaptation for a different dimension of survival – heat regulation.

View the original video here.

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