aka: North American Antlered Hare The Jackalope is so rarely seen (both then and now) as to be thought mythical by the average layperson. Buck (male) Jackalope have antlers, doe (female) Jackalopes do not and that indirectly leads to low breeding numbers (more in a moment). The antlers are shed every year in the winter and regrown in the spring. You can see roughly how old a Jackalope is by the number of points on their antlers. They use their antlers to establish dominance for breeding purposes and defense. They have also been known to attack people and animals during the fall breeding season. They don't do much damage but it is embarrassing to be attacked by, essentially, a horny bunny. Despite looking almost identical to hares (subtracting the antlers) Jackalopes cannot breed with hares and are a distinct species. Because there are more hare does than Jackalope does the poor buck Jackalopes tend to get confused and battle over the more numerous hare does, thus ensuring a vigorous copulation but no procreation. But, fortunately, they get it right often enough that the species endures. |
Jackalope |
