There are three jackrabbits that come to our water hole. These two look almost identical, and the third one looks to be an older doe – maybe the mother of these two. This is the best shot I have . . . they just don’t hold still.
Click on the picture for a larger view. Maybe you will be able to tell why one has ears up, and the other has ears back.
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One on the right (ears up) is probably dominant. The other is unsure.
Craig Sheumaker 916-601-5007
Thanks, Craig. We’ve wondered if this is a brother/sister pair. They’ve both been around the same amount of time, and don’t seem to have much to do with each other. This was a rare “sniffing” occasion. Usually one is lying in the shade of the yucca tree nearby, when the other comes for a drink. They pretty much just acknowledge each other, and then go about their prospective business of sleeping or drinking.
Sometimes quail will come and settle down in the shade with the jackrabbit in the shade. There seems to be no problem with this.
And, yes, that is pizza dough in the making that you smell! ;->
I agree with Craig – the ears-up one is the alpha or dominant rabbit, the other is the subjective rabbit. Dogs do the same thing, so do cats.
BTW, love your blog 🙂
Thanks, Lois, for the information and the compliment. I’m having real fun with the blog. I’m terribly eclectic, so this is the perfect way for me to just post whatever strikes my fancy. It isn’t ALWAYS food – but usually! ;-> I love to eat!
The submissive rabbit will put his ears down, but I’ve also found that when they are trying to hide, even when I can see them right there, they scrunch down and flatten out their ears. I have a photo I’ll post one day that shows that. It’s kind of sad that he would do that instead of running away. I can’t believe he really thought we couldn’t see him. 🙂
It also looks like the one with the lowered ears has a longer tail. Jackrabbits are so hard to get a decent photo of – they are just too fast. This is a good shot!
Thanks, Barbara! I always enjoy the many animal pictures you capture! You must have great patience. ;->