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Spring has sprung and Easter is right around the corner. That means the Easter Bunny is on the minds of many children.
And on the minds of many adults is the age-old question…..
Is the Easter Bunny a rabbit or a hare?
As many of our readers know, hares and rabbits are cousins. The good news for all candy-lovers is that both are well equipped by nature to handle the tasks that come with being the Easter Bunny.
Rabbit vs. Hare
It’s actually the European hare, or brown hare, that holds the impressive credential of being the original Easter Bunny. At least according to a Germanic legend dating back to the 1500s. The ritual of children preparing nests and eagerly anticipating the arrival of Oster Haas (Easter hare), who delivers brightly colored eggs on Easter morning, has taken place in German-speaking countries for centuries.
In the United States the cottontail rabbit has been designated as the official deliverer of Easter treats. This is easily evidenced by the lyrics in popular holiday tunes such as “Peter Cottontail,” and the presence of that signature fluffy white behind in every commercial rendition of the Easter Rabbit imaginable.
How are the Easter Hare (brown hare) and the Easter Rabbit (cottontail rabbit) equipped for the daunting tasks associated with their profession?
Let’s take a closer look at the unique features of these members of the family Leporidae to find out.
Night Time Is the Right Time
It goes without saying that the job of the Easter Rabbit requires lots of stamina and endurance. This small mammal must accomplish the seemingly impossible task of delivering hundreds of thousands of eggs to children in a single night. Both rabbits and hares are primarily nocturnal creatures, thus able to stay alert and on-task the entire Saturday night prior. Their most productive hours are at dawn and dusk, times of heightened activity and energy for the rabbit and hare. Both species are equipped with large eyes for seeing at night, and their large ears allow them to detect territorial intrusions.
Lickety Split
The forefeet and hindfeet of rabbits and hares have strong claws and a special type of thick hair on the lower surfaces that provides better gripping. Not only does this adaptation aid with running on uneven terrain, it may also allow for the skillful carrying and maneuvering of multiple Easter baskets with minimal slippage (and broken eggs).
With their longer hind legs, European hares have a competitive edge over cottontail rabbits, able to reach a running speed of 50 miles per hour. The agile hare has the speed and skills to outrun and outwit predators. Cottontails move at a swift, but decidedly slower pace than hares, and often rely on surface depressions and burrows to conceal themselves. So far, both the hare and rabbit have managed to elude humans on every Easter Sunday to date—an incredible feat indeed.
Many Wabbits
Though it would completely debunk the theory that there is just one Easter Rabbit, it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to assume that egg-delivery is a task shared by a complex, vast network of hundreds, if not thousands of rabbits. There certainly are enough of them to cover all the territory. It’s no secret that rabbits and hares are an exceptionally fertile and active lot, often producing dozens of offspring over the course of lifetime.
Newborn hares would most quickly be able to jump on board and help with Easter tasks. Just minutes after being born, they are fully-furred and able to run around with relative ease. Alternately, newborn rabbits are ill-suited for just about any activity; they are born blind and naked, and require much coddling by their mothers before venturing out in the world.
On the Job Satisfaction
One has to wonder what the glamour and allure in being the Easter Bunny might be. One of the draws may be unlimited quantities food. While children drool over the chocolate eggs and other sweets delivered to them on Easter Sunday, rabbits and hares are no doubt enticed by their favorite edibles—grass and clover—found in many backyards. Perhaps the payoff is the pleasure of seeing the smiles on children’s faces when they discover the colorful Easter eggs that have been left for them. Or maybe it is the honor in upholding tradition, year after year.
Whatever the reward or rewards, you’ve got to commend the Easter Rabbit and the Easter Hare for hundreds of years of excellent service and on a job well done.
Learn more about the Eastern Cottontail »
More about the Desert Cottontail »
Just wanted to say how much I always enjoy your news and stories and this one on the Easter Hare Vs Easter Bunny is so interesting and so much fun. Thanks!
Delightful and educational, as always.
I will share with my grandchildren.
i love how you incorporated the rabbit into the holiday tradition while still being very informative. i have one rabbit that lives in my yard that actually looks like a statue when i take my dog out and she is never aware it is standing frozen only a few feet away from her.
I love this story! It brought a big smile to my face. Thank you!!
We have had rabbits in our yard from time to time but the most fun was when one was adopted by a mare and they were best frieds for a long time. I have photos of the horse greeting the rabbit as it came into her stall and kissing the rabbit on its head when they met.
Thank you for this lively and informative post. I have a sister whose last name is Hare and she and her children will get a kick out of your article.
I REALLY ENJOY YOUR SITE. I HAVE LEARNED MUCH. I HAVE A FRIEND WITH JOYFM93.3 WHO LOVES BIRDS. SOOOO, I SENT HER THIS SITE TO GIVE HER THE OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN MUCH KNOWLEDGE ABOUT BIRDS. SO KEEP THE INFO COMING SO I WONT LOOK BAD…............SINCERELY….TOMMY BOYLEN
And don’t forget the very rare and elusive jack-a-lope!
I just re-read the early-70s classic “Watership Down,” and have been thinking about rabbits a great deal. With regard to reproduction and life cycle, their pattern is quite foreign to us human beings—i.e., short life spans, early sexuality, multiple pregnancies, multiple births, few survivors to adulthood—so it is something of a tour-de-force on the part of Mr. Adams to have anthropomorphized them so well.
Your site is very educational and entertaining at the same time! Thanks.
Smiling here Very well written! A real feel-good story. Thank you
Some fifteen or twenty years ago PBS did a wonderful half-hour program tracing the history of the Easter bunny myths, and it had to do with the spring habit of hares getting up on their hind legs and whacking each other, like kangaroos, in their mating rivalries. There were also, coincidentally, ground-nesting birds who had full nests at about the same time. People made a magical connection bertween the eggs and the hares. But this was in pre-Christian times, long before the 1500s. Then, when Christianity came, many local customs and celebrations were incorporated into the new religion, and so eggs and hares/rabbits became associated with Easter. I have read that even the name “Easter” is derived from Astarte, one of the middle eastern goddesses of fertility. It would be really nice if PBS would revive that program. It was beautifully done.
I love to read your newsletter.
But I do believe it’s hasen, as in hasenpfeffer, the dish made with wabbit. :C)
what?
no Passover Pika? I’m dissapointed in the lack of Hebrew lagamorphs
Your site is very educational and entertaining at the same time! Thanks.
This is very good article…good share
When my sister and I were little, we woke one Easter morning to see a bunny in our front yard. We were both so excited as we were sure it was the Easter Bunny hopping away.
There is no shortage of cottontails where I live,, they are everywhere..And they love to eat the wires on my cars.. So I got a couple of cats,, now I have coyotes and bobcats hanging around trying to get them, thinking about a couple of big dogs now.. where will it end.
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I think other web site proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and great user friendly style and design, as well as the content. You’re an expert at this stuff!
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Great….
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