Roly-Poly Rabbits

March 27, 2011 11:17 AM

Biggest Rabbit was "Roly-Poly." The remains of a 26 pound prehistoric rabbit were found on an island believed to have been without predators, accounting for their size. "He was probably on an evolutionary vacation," said Brian Kraatz, an expert in rabbit evolution, like an "islander beach bum."
posted by zizzle (33 comments total)

Is it bad that my first thought was,

DAMN, THAT SOUNDS DELICIOUS
posted by Blasdelb at 11:23 AM on March 27, 2011 [7 favorites]

Exclusive footage.
posted by brundlefly at 11:29 AM on March 27, 2011 [6 favorites]

I expected something like a bunny from Squishables, but instead I just got a sad looking kangaroo.
posted by mccarty.tim at 11:30 AM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yet, even though the giant rabbit "didn't have too many cares or worries," Kraatz said, "he got too comfortable, and eventually went extinct."

Humans also are getting taller and fatter and like to hang out lazily by the beach and no longer have many natural predators.
posted by stbalbach at 11:45 AM on March 27, 2011

Hmm, I would have expected some kind of rabbuck.
posted by benito.strauss at 11:50 AM on March 27, 2011 [3 favorites]

Look at the bones!
posted by drlith at 11:55 AM on March 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

This paper led me to this Wiki article.
posted by Leon at 11:59 AM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Run Away! Run Away!
posted by octothorpe at 12:02 PM on March 27, 2011 [7 favorites]

IT'S SO FLUFFY
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:11 PM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

You can dig up bones of a giant pre-historic rabbit on an island somewhere, or you can go find yourself a Flemish Giant.
posted by Atreides at 12:30 PM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

OH MY GOD: it's this meets this!

!!!
posted by you're a kitty! at 1:05 PM on March 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

The remains of a 26 pound prehistoric rabbit were found on an island believed to have been without predators,

Or perhaps the rabbit was the predator. I will love him and hug him and call him George.
posted by three blind mice at 1:32 PM on March 27, 2011 [2 favorites]

Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 2:10 PM on March 27, 2011

Looks like he discovered the Power of Carrots long ago.
posted by cenoxo at 2:12 PM on March 27, 2011

"When I found the first bone I was 19 years old, I was not aware what this bone represented. I thought it was a bone of the giant Minorcan turtle!"

And over here is the site of their famous race, celebrated in wise sayings and children's stories everywhere.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:53 PM on March 27, 2011

I think my rabbit is the evolutionary descendant of "Roly-Poly", seeing as he's 11 years old and is quite round himself, enough so to earn the monicker Pork Chop. Also, having never had a care nor worry his entire rabbitly existence, fancies himself quite the Boss of the House, which is pretty funny and humbling, what that his brain is about the size of my thumbnail.
posted by jivadravya at 3:48 PM on March 27, 2011

I want to go on a evolutionary vacation.
posted by DiscourseMarker at 4:59 PM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Post bunny photos, jivadravya. Now.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:21 PM on March 27, 2011

For shame, National Geographic..that's the worst photoshop "artist's conception" I think I've ever seen.

The feet/lower legs are particularly bad.

If that's the standard, perhaps this shot I took on vacation might get me a job at their hallowed organization.
posted by chronkite at 5:28 PM on March 27, 2011 [5 favorites]

In other news, scientist have also found a giant rosemary shrub, and a giant baking pan near by. No word yet on giant carrots.
posted by strixus at 5:40 PM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, that artist does not know bunnies!
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 5:51 PM on March 27, 2011

Here's one for now Faint of Butt - I'll find more and throw them on Flickr later: http://twitter.com/#!/hamhoagie - I'm terribly dense, so I cannot figure out how to link to a discrete tweet these days, but it's the top one.
posted by jivadravya at 6:18 PM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

I cannot figure out how to link to a discrete tweet these days

Just click on the time/date stamp to get the unique URL.
posted by Burhanistan at 6:22 PM on March 27, 2011

Yet, even though the giant rabbit "didn't have too many cares or worries," Kraatz said, "he got too comfortable, and eventually went extinct."

This seems like somewhat lazy reporting.  (1) Everything eventually goes extinct.  (2). Things go extinct because something changed or a run of bad luck in an isolated habitat.  Did one of these have to do with laziness?
posted by TheShadowKnows at 6:27 PM on March 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Gigantism is a pretty common phenomenon when animals end up on islands - see, for instance, Aldabra tortoises. Certain selective pressures get released, and Bang! You get a 26 pound rabbit!

Conversely, dwarfism is another reaction to suddenly ending up on islands, which gave us mini elephants and mammoths, and (depending on who you talk to), miniature human ancestors, Homo floresiensis
posted by ChuraChura at 6:58 PM on March 27, 2011

chronkite: the artist is one of the authors of the paper. NG have just lifted the image from the paper (or more likely press release?)
posted by Leon at 12:36 AM on March 28, 2011

In honour of this great discovery I give you Conill amb Ceba more commonly known as Conejo con Cebolla.
posted by adamvasco at 12:47 AM on March 28, 2011

Is it a rabbit, or a giant upside down duck?
posted by nzero at 3:38 AM on March 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

Conversely, dwarfism is another reaction to suddenly ending up on islands...

Don't forget about deer!
posted by TedW at 4:51 AM on March 28, 2011

Here is an English version of adamvasco's recipe; it looks delicious but I may have a hard time convincing my family to try it.
posted by TedW at 4:54 AM on March 28, 2011

Hey, if bunnies can do it, I think our species should be working toward the same goal.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 5:14 AM on March 28, 2011

Gigantism is a pretty common phenomenon when animals end up on islands - see, for instance, Aldabra tortoises.

We don't even care...whether or not we care.
posted by nzero at 5:55 AM on March 28, 2011

Is it a rabbit, or a giant upside down duck?

all rabbit, baby
posted by jivadravya at 8:39 AM on March 28, 2011