• Question: why do rabbits have long ears

    Asked by hunterlo01 to Carol, Ellie, John, Philip, Rebecca on 2 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Eleanor Turpin

      Eleanor Turpin answered on 2 Jul 2012:


      So they are super-cute!

      And to help them hear predators – long ears can be used to pick out sounds in a specific direction

    • Photo: John Welford

      John Welford answered on 2 Jul 2012:


      Not all rabbits do, some have been bred to have short ears! Like this chap:
      https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcREzcZWm58c9QPSKAp2HDenOZ6mHMdi2OY-skMuzSy6J1k7dbs

      Naturally they tend to be long though so that they are better at hearing, they can also move them independently to hear in different directions.

      A second reason is so that they are able to give off heat and keep the rabbit cool!

    • Photo: Rebecca Lacey

      Rebecca Lacey answered on 2 Jul 2012:


      They have long ears in order to channel sound waves (such as those created by predators) into their ear canals. This makes their hearing senstive in order to keep them safe.

      I also agree with Ellie – it makes them look cute too!

    • Photo: Carol White

      Carol White answered on 2 Jul 2012:


      Long ears help rabbits hear more so they can detect when there’s a predator near by.

      They’re also really good at helping rabbits lose heat, because of the large surface area and the veins near the surface of the ear’s skin.

      Best of all.. the cute factor 😀

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