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Rabbits and How They Are Different From Hares

Rabbits Quiz
Rabbits Quiz

Of all the wild animals in the United States, rabbits are one of the most common. Cottontail rabbits, with their soft brown fur and white fluffy tails, are found in almost every state. They live in woods, grassy fields, near farms and even in neighborhoods.

Wild Rabbit Image - Science for Kids All About Rabbits
All About Rabbits: Of all the wild animals in the United States, rabbits are one of the most common.

Rabbits and hares aren’t the same thing. Hares have longer ears than rabbits and longer legs. They don’t live in underground dens. Hare babies are born with hair; rabbit babies are born naked.

Cottontail Rabbit Image
Cottontail rabbits, with their soft brown fur and white fluffy tails, are found in almost every state.

Fun Facts about Rabbits for Kids

  • In the summer, rabbits eat grass, wild strawberries, garden vegetables and some flowers. In the winter, they survive on woody stems and even the bark of some trees.
  • Rabbits are most active at sunset and at dawn. During the day, they hide under bushes, logs or even old sheds. Remember Peter the Rabbit hiding from Mr. McGregor? When rabbits are scared, they freeze and scrunch down to hide.
  • Rabbits build underground burrows to live in. The burrows have tunnels and a large room.
  • Rabbits start having babies when they’re one year old. Rabbits can have as many as 25 babies in one year. Wow! That’s a busy mama!
  • Rabbits make nests for their babies under bushes or sheds or even old compost piles. Be careful when you’re digging around in the spring. You just might find a rabbit’s nest.
  • Baby rabbits stay with their moms for only two weeks. Then they fend for themselves.
Hares Playing Image
Hares have longer ears than rabbits and longer legs.

Rabbit Vocabulary

  1. Neighborhood: An area with many homes and families
  2. Hare: An animal like a rabbit
  3. Sunset: When the sun is going down at night
  4. Dawn: When the sun is coming up in the morning
  5. Burrow: Underground home
Rabbit Eating a Flower Image
In the summer, rabbits eat grass, wild strawberries, garden vegetables and some flowers. In the winter, they survive on woody stems and even the bark of some trees.

Learn More All About Rabbits

Rabbit Babies with their Mother Image
Rabbits can have as many as 25 babies in one year.

Watch this cute video about wild rabbits:

A video about wild rabbit behaviors.

Rabbit Q&A

Question: How do rabbits escape predators?

Answer: Sometimes they hide in the grass, or they run in a zig zag pattern. Rabbits are constantly on the lookout for trouble.

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Question: Do orphaned baby rabbits need help?

Answer: Mother rabbits leave their babies during the day so the babies probably aren’t really orphaned. Stretch a piece of string over the nest and check it again the next day. If the string was moved, mom is still around. If you have to chase a baby rabbit to catch it, it is old enough to fend for itself.

 

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