Sometimes a Rabbit's Perspective Can Be a Little Lopsided!
Lop rabbit or lop-eared rabbit refers to any rabbit with ears that droop, as opposed to being carried erect. A number of rabbit breeds are characterized by such lop ears. Abnormalities in the skull of a half-lop rabbit were studied by Charles Darwin in 1868.
The defining feature of the lop rabbit is its ear carriage. Unlike the erect ear of the majority of domestic rabbit breeds, lop breeds have ears loosely drooping, with the opening of the ear facing the skull. Due to the slightly-raised cartilaginous ear base, the head of many lop rabbits (with the exception of English Lops) has a small bulge, referred to as the crown. The head of a typical lop rabbit is said to resemble that of a male sheep in profile, thus the German term for a lop rabbit (Widder, meaning Aries [the ram]), the French term (bélier, meaning ram) and the Italian term (ariete, from Latin aries).
A rabbit's ear, with its blood vessels close to the surface, is an essential thermoregulator, since rabbits cannot sweat. Longer ears are associated with warmer climates, and possibly even with a late-spring birth in cooler climates (when such rabbits are thought to develop summer ears). The additional weight of a longer or thicker ear is not always fully supported by the rest of the ear structure, resulting in ears that droop. The ears of some young lop rabbits may not achieve their full adult droop until the ear growth is finished. The ears of a lop rabbit prevent them hearing predators and maintaining a healthy body temperature. Both of these disadvantages keep them from surviving outdoor conditions.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lop_rabbit
Sometimes a Rabbit's Perspective Can Be a Little Lopsided!
Lop rabbit or lop-eared rabbit refers to any rabbit with ears that droop, as opposed to being carried erect. A number of rabbit breeds are characterized by such lop ears. Abnormalities in the skull of a half-lop rabbit were studied by Charles Darwin in 1868.
The defining feature of the lop rabbit is its ear carriage. Unlike the erect ear of the majority of domestic rabbit breeds, lop breeds have ears loosely drooping, with the opening of the ear facing the skull. Due to the slightly-raised cartilaginous ear base, the head of many lop rabbits (with the exception of English Lops) has a small bulge, referred to as the crown. The head of a typical lop rabbit is said to resemble that of a male sheep in profile, thus the German term for a lop rabbit (Widder, meaning Aries [the ram]), the French term (bélier, meaning ram) and the Italian term (ariete, from Latin aries).
A rabbit's ear, with its blood vessels close to the surface, is an essential thermoregulator, since rabbits cannot sweat. Longer ears are associated with warmer climates, and possibly even with a late-spring birth in cooler climates (when such rabbits are thought to develop summer ears). The additional weight of a longer or thicker ear is not always fully supported by the rest of the ear structure, resulting in ears that droop. The ears of some young lop rabbits may not achieve their full adult droop until the ear growth is finished. The ears of a lop rabbit prevent them hearing predators and maintaining a healthy body temperature. Both of these disadvantages keep them from surviving outdoor conditions.
For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lop_rabbit