PRESENTATION: Three Rabbits Tell their Tale or Who’s in trouble?
Materials:
Agenda and Resource Sheet
Rabbit Script
Triangle signs for:
names of each type of rabbit
hides in holes
On a poster paper: Mountain
with three zones drawn on
Slideshow
3 Mounted Specimens ( pika,
snowshoe hare and
cottontail)
speed
hearing
scissors
heat loss
Remote Control
10 pairs of rabbit and rodent
skulls
temperature
Bunny ears
Script:
INTRODUCTION:
Good Afternoon, Please come gather around the table where you can see my copresenters.
(Start with your back to the three rabbits on the table)
On the table in front of you are three very different rabbits that all live in Colorado. At least one
of them is very worried about its future and whether it will be able to continue to live here in
Colorado. They all three desperately need you to understand their situation.
But they have a problem. They can’t tell you their story. Well actually they can, but they don’t
speak your language.
(Now pause and turn toward the rabbits as if they were interrupting you. Pretend to be
listening and Speak to the rabbits, not the audience)
Oh, I’m so sorry, absolutely, how rude of me. Let me first begin by introducing you guys to
these humans. This is Miss. Ochotona daurica but instead of Daurica (which is a lovely
name) her friends call her “Pika” ( pronounced peeca). This is Mr. and Ms. Lepus
americanus but her friends refer her as Snowshoe Hare. How thoughtful of them to
each wear a different one of their coats for us. Please notice how she is modeling both
her winter coat while he models his summer coat.. ( motion with your hand) Finally, let
me introduce you to the honorable Mr. Sylvilagus nuttallii whose friends like to call him
Peter Cottontail.
Now, We are going to spend time looking carefully at these three rabbits and try to figure out
what they are saying.
( Optional: It’s even better if you can actually visit them when they are at home where they live;
because you not only would get to “ hear” their story by looking at their bodies but you can
watch them going around doing their normal daily business.)
YOUR JOB IS TO FIGURE OUT WHICH OF THESE THREE RABBITS MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE AND
FIGURE OUT WHY AND HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP HIM OR HER
It can be hard to understand someone when they are speaking a foreign language. You might
need an “interpreter” to translate to your language. Right now, we need an interpreter to
speak for the rabbits. Does anyone here speak rabbit?
ANSWER: (Allow all answers, the more playful the better)
Well no worries…. it just happens that I am a trained “ interpreter” and I want to help you to be
an “interpreter” too so that you can listen to the rabbits when you are out visiting them later.
Rabbits speak a kind of “sign language” so you will need to use your eyes to understand their
stories (point to your eyes) rather than your ears (cover your ears). So you will have to look very
carefully at all three.
(Turn your head away from the specimens and Whisper)
Nothing annoys a rabbit more than to be called (pause and a bit quieter) “a rodent”! They are
all definitely rabbits and not (whisper) rodents - like mice and Beavers
There are ten sets of rodent and rabbit skulls on the table. ( motion to one) Take a second to
look for the clues or signs that can be used to tell them apart. You might want to look carefully
at their teeth from above and below and also look at the sides of their heads near the jaws.
Does anyone know how I can tell that by looking at their skulls that these are indeed rabbits
and not rodents?
ANSWER 1: Two rows of incisors on upper jaw. The small ones in the back are called “spikes”
(Rodents only have one row. Pass skulls around after showing this.) Since Rabbits do more
nipping than gnawing these extra teeth might help like scissors.
ANSWER 2: There is a spiderweb of bones on the sides of rabbit heads called “fenestrations”
that are not found in rodents. The lighter head might make them a little lighter ( like hollow
bird bones) so that they can use less energy while “flying” through the air.
(Optional) Question Does anyone see any other clues from their teeth that they are different?
ANSWER: Rodents have colored enamel on front and Rabbits do not
MAIN PRESENTATION: LISTENING TO RABBITS
OK, good job, you have already proven that you have what it takes to speak “rabbit” from
looking at the clues that they have left you in their teeth.
When I say start, I am going to ask you to work together in groups and start looking at their
bodies for clues about their everyday lives. Every rabbit has a story and their bodies are giving
you clues. See if you can guess anything about their story from looking at their body parts and
shapes.
Here are the story questions to investigate: (motion to signs)
1. What do you think might lose the most heat? The least heat?
2. Based upon that and their body shape, who do you think lives in the coldest place and
the warmest place?
3. Who has the best hearing? The worst hearing?
4. Who do you think might be the fastest? Or the slowest rabbit?
5. Based upon this, who do you think hides in holes (or Dens) and who do you think might
live out in the open and not hide in Dens?
6. What are their worries? How are they vulnerable to danger?
7. What are their special talents?
When we are done I am going to ask you to place these signs next to the correct rabbit and give
your reasons while showing us the evidence from their body parts…. their “sign language”.
While you are figuring it out, I encourage you to challenge and disagree with each other
respectfully since none of us speaks rabbit perfectly!
I suggest that you listen carefully with your eyes to some of these body parts if you really want
to hear what they are saying:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ears
Legs
Body Size and Shape
Eyes,
Fur
Remember! Each rabbit has slightly different answers to these basic questions about their every
day life and I think I can hear them all talking to me at once about them.
(Pause looking annoyed and Speak directly to the rabbits) Shhh! Alright, Alright you guys ,
please take turns and speak directly to the other humans. ( motion with one hand toward the
audience) I am NOT the only one here with eyes!
(Back to the audience)
GO! ( Give them at least 5-10 min to work)
SHARE-OUT
OK, Drum roll please…… It’s time for “The Rabbits Tell their Tale” You get to tell me their
stories. Remember, you are to place the signs next to the rabbits and tell us the reason and the
evidence on their body that gave you the clue. Now there is one important rule. You can only
speak rabbit when you are wearing the rabbit ears. When you are done speaking rabbit hand
the rabbit ears to the next person who wants to speak.
Who wants to start?
Let’s place the rabbits where you think they live on the mountain. Be ready for reasons and
evidence.
CONCLUSION
So which of these rabbits do you think is most worried about their future here in Colorado and
Why?
Answer: Take various theories…….But Best Candidate
From: http://www.science-live.org/pikas/about/ecology.html
CLIMATE: WHY ARE PIKAS LIKE GOLDILOCKS?:
They can be TOO HOT
 Individuals have died due to heat stress when held at temperatures
as low as 78˚F (25˚C)!
 As you’d expect given their bad reaction to heat, researchers have
found that rocky habitats that get too hot in summer often can’t
support populations of pikas.
They can be TOO COLD
 Pikas don’t seem to be able to handle really cold temperatures,
either. Talus slopes that get colder than 14˚F (-10˚C) aren’t very
likely to have pikas living in them.
 BUT HANG ON… Pikas live in really cold places! How does that
work?
- Usually snowpack protects pikas from really cold temperatures by insulating
them from air temperatures in the winter.
- The air gets colder than 14˚ in lots of places pikas live, but they are usually
sheltered from those cold temperatures by a blanket of snow each year.
 In many places where pikas live, that blanket of snow is VERY deep
– more than 6 feet thick! Pikas live in many ski areas throughout
the West – imagine what skiing must sound like to the pikas under
the snow!
Video:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/around-the-web/pikas-and-climatechange/?no-ist
Leading Question Clues ( to be given during or after)
Q: What are their ears telling you? Are their ears all the same?
Answer: No, Some are bigger and some you can barely see.
Q: If you were a rabbit why would you want big ears?
Answer: Hearing & listening better, cooling down
Q: If you were a rabbit why might you want little ears?
Answers: staying warm, being less visible
Q: Which Colorado rabbit might have the best hearing? Why would they need to hear well?
Answer: Probably the Snowshoe Hare, Maybe because they are the biggest and easiest to see
Q: From looking at the ears, which Colorado rabbit probably lives in the coldest place? How can
you tell?
Answer: The Pika, Small ears are better when it is cold and windy. Big ears would freeze off.
Q: Follow-Up Question: What other clue does this rabbit have that tells you that it lives in the
coldest place?
Answer: It’s body is small and tight and round. There is very little surface touching the cold air.
In general animals become rounder with smaller appendages as you move from the equator to
the poles for this very reason (Allen's rule is a biological rule posited by Joel Asaph Allen in
1877.[1][2] The rule says that the body shapes and proportions ofendotherms vary by climatic
temperature by either minimizing exposed surface area to minimize heat loss in cold climates or
maximizing exposed surface area to maximize heat loss in hot climates. The rule predicts that
endotherms from hot climates usually have ears, tails, limbs, snouts, etc. that are long and thin while
equivalent animals from cold climates usually have shorter and thicker versions of those body
parts.Wikipedia)
Q: Which Colorado rabbits like to hide the most? How can you tell? Why?
Answer: The cottontail and the pika because their bodies are smaller and more easily hidden
Q: Which Colorado Rabbits don’t mind as much about being seen? Why?
Answer: Probably the snowshoe hare, which is bigger and more visible . But they have bigger
legs and can run faster and get away from predators
What are their legs telling you? Are their ears all the same?
Answer: No, Some have big legs and others are small. In the cottontail and the hare, their back
legs are much bigger than their front legs, but not in the pika. The pika has very small legs.
Q: If you are a rabbit, Why would having big back legs help you?
Answer: Bigger legs probably mean that you can run/hop faster. You can change direction
faster. You can also probably kick harder ( Kicking is a big part of the male competition for
mating ritual in snowshoe hares)
Q: Who do you think runs and jumps the fastest? Who do you think is the slowest?
Answer: The hare is probably fastest and the pika is probably the slowest.
Q: Who would they need to run away from?
Answer: Predators like coyotes, hawks, mountain lions etc. etc.
Q: (Related Question) From their legs, Who do you think does not live in small holes called
dens?
Answer: Snowshoe Hares are the only ones that don’t have dens, in part it might be because
they can more often out-run the predator and not have to get away by diving into a hole.
What can you tell about them from looking at their eyes ?
Q: What’s the same about the eyes of all three of them that is different than your eyes?
Answer: Their eyes are on the sides of their heads rather than on the front.
How would having eyes on the sides of your head be helpful?
Answer: If your eyes were way over here ( point to the sides of your head). You could see in
front AND behind you. This would allow you to see predators more easily before they caught
you and ate you. ( This is called monocular vision and tends to be much more common in prey
than in predators)
Q: (Optional) What other animals beside us have their eyes on the front of their head? How
would having your eyes in the front of your head be helpful?
Answer: Hawks, Monkeys, eagles, snakes. It allows your field of vision to overlap which makes
you better able to see 3 dimensionally ( better space perception). This is important in animals
that must shoot out a paw or a claw or a talon or tongue and quickly and accurately grab your
prey.
Q: What is their fur telling you? Are they all the same color?
Answer: No they are different colors and some have thicker fur than others ( Snowshoe Hares
have three layers of fur, probably because they do not use dens)
Q: Why would the Snowshoe Hare change to her white coat in the winter?
Answer: Because it lives in the snowiest areas and the color change makes it less visible to
anyone who is trying to catch and eat it?
Q: Why don’t the other two spend any money or energy buying a white winter coat?
Answer: They probably don’t live where it is as snowy and they probably can hide in their dens
or holes.
Q: Looking at her coat, what kind of environment do you think Miss Pika lives in ( sand, rocks,
snow, water etc.)
Answer: Her fur is very gray so she probably lives among the rocks and boulders
CONCLUSION:
Did you know that Ms. Pika has another amazing talent that the others don’t have? She’s a
ventriloquist?
Q: What’s that?
Answer: She is able to “ throw her voice” and make her voice sound like it is coming from a
place other than where she is?
Q: Do you want to hear a recording of her throwing her voice?
Answer: Yes
You could tell that her voice is coming out of my ipad but if you visited her in the rocks and
boulders, you’d have a hard time telling where that voice is coming from.
Q: Why would she want to “ throw her voice” and make her voice sound like it is coming from a
place other than where she is?
Answer: So that when predators come, she can warn her friends but it would be hard for the
predator to find and eat her.