Odd question.. why do rabbits have tails?

[bunnnnnnie!]

I was just thinking about it while poking Zeus’s tail and saying “IT’S YOUR TAIL!  THERE IT IS!  IT’S LITTLE AND FURRY!”  .  He looks at me like I’m crazy when I do that. .

But anyways, why do buns have tails?  What is their purpose?  They don’t really offer balance when turning like a dog’s tail.. nor do they really seem to communicate with it as much as a cat does with it’s kitty tail.  They do communicate a LITTLE with it, as we’ve all seen the bunny tail waggle when they’re being naughty/playful and hop away from you. .

Do bunnies use their tails to talk to other bunnies?  If not, why do they have them? 

[Monkeybun]

it’s probably some leftover thing, like the appendix in humans. Useless, but there

[Sam and Lady's Human]

Well, I know deer throw their tails up to show the white to communicate to others that there is danger around, so maybe bunnies do the same?

[Sarita]

Because they are tattle tails :~)

[Huckleberry]

So that you can do just that… poke at them and tease them until they run off foot flicking

I have noticed that it Huckles has her tail at different levels of up when she is running in a different way. When she is scared. like when a door opens, her ears go up, she kind of drops her bum and races off around the corner, I call it drag racing. When she does this, her tail is down parallel to the floor. When she binkies and jumps around, it wiggles around…
Oh tail giggles!!!! That’s what its for!!! Tail giggles!!!!

[kamdynandsunshinesmom]

Well don’t they do need it so when they pee they can lift there tail. Plus it just looks cute!

[BunnyDuck]

If you notice most of rabbits tails underneath are white. They lift it up to warn other rabbits of danger, and the white tends to stand out for other rabbits to see. There is probably other reasons too, but that’s a main one.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By BunnyDuck on 12/08/2011 06:59 PM

If you notice most of rabbits tails underneath are white. They lift it up to warn other rabbits of danger, and the white tends to stand out for other rabbits to see. There is probably other reasons too, but that’s a main one.

But like Huckleberry said, when Zeus is scared/startled, he runs with his tail parallel to the floor, not up.  So his white underside to his tail doesn’t show when he sees a “threat”.
 

[LBJ10]

Are we talking evolutionary reasons? Or just our romanticized ideas? =p

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By LBJ10 on 12/08/2011 07:38 PM

Are we talking evolutionary reasons? Or just our romanticized ideas? =p

I like talking about both, personally. .
 

[BunnyDuck]

Posted By bunnnnnnie! on 12/08/2011 07:31 PM

Posted By BunnyDuck on 12/08/2011 06:59 PM
If you notice most of rabbits tails underneath are white. They lift it up to warn other rabbits of danger, and the white tends to stand out for other rabbits to see. There is probably other reasons too, but that’s a main one.

But like Huckleberry said, when Zeus is scared/startled, he runs with his tail parallel to the floor, not up.  So his white underside to his tail doesn’t show when he sees a “threat”.

I’m not sure.  This is just what I was told when I studied Animal Management. My bunnies lift their tails when they get nervous about something, but they are all different.
 

 

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By BunnyDuck on 12/08/2011 07:52 PM

Posted By bunnnnnnie! on 12/08/2011 07:31 PM

Posted By BunnyDuck on 12/08/2011 06:59 PM
If you notice most of rabbits tails underneath are white. They lift it up to warn other rabbits of danger, and the white tends to stand out for other rabbits to see. There is probably other reasons too, but that’s a main one.

But like Huckleberry said, when Zeus is scared/startled, he runs with his tail parallel to the floor, not up.  So his white underside to his tail doesn’t show when he sees a “threat”.

I’m not sure.  This is just what I was told when I studied Animal Management. My bunnies lift their tails when they get nervous about something, but they are all different.
 

 

Maybe Zeus’s “warn other bunnies” reflex is broken. 

 

[Huckleberry]

LOL Yeah, Huckleberry and Zeus are “every bun for themselves” kind of buns!

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Huckleberry on 12/08/2011 08:23 PM

LOL Yeah, Huckleberry and Zeus are “every bun for themselves” kind of buns!

Yup!  Hahaha! 
 

[bunnyfriend]

Bhahahha I love this thread.

[Mandyyy]

Hmm… your right… the purpose… who knows?
I know rats use their tail to “see”. They have mini hairs on it that help them guide through the dark, and because they have poor eyesight. They also use it to hold onto things, communicate with each other, keep their body temp to their liking, and for balance. Oh rats! Lol.

[LBJ10]

Let’s see, I suppose there are probably several evolutionary explanations. An animal with a shorter tail was most likely at more of an advantage somehow. Perhaps a longer tail gave predators something to latch on to? Further on down the evolutionary line, as rabbits became rabbits, I imagine the appendage was adapted for some other purpose. So like others have suggested, it is used as a warning signal similar to white tail deer. We’re talking about wild rabbits here. Domestication does some pretty weird things.

Romanticized version would be that bunny rabbits needed a way to alert their buddies of danger and therefore developed a tail for that purpose. Now Mr Bunny Rabbit has his own little place in nature, living in complete harmony. Hehe!

[RabbitPam]

I’m guessing that they use it to communicate (the white alert thing) but it has other uses. I think when they stand up on their hind legs to periscope, they may use it for support in case they roll backwards, like a third stool leg. I also wonder if it protects their private parts from dirt and disease (and other nosy bunnies) by acting as a bit of a cover until they have to go and lift it.

Might also support them when they curl up to eat cecals, and even block them from rolling away before they are eaten. I know they have really good control of them, so it’s not a useless appendage.

The winner of best tail was my Spockie. He used to spin it fast like a pinwheel when he got excited. 

[LittlePuffyTail]

They need the tail. It adds to the “Way over the top adorable” look that bunnies have going on. Giant ears, feet that are too big, that sniffy little nose. Why not a little fwuffy pom pom stuck on the tookas?

Poor Bindi! He can’t communicate with his tail, it’s all white. I love Stormy’s tail: beige on top and light grey underneath. 

Olivia needs her tail to wiggle when she plays “Haha, you can’t catch me human”.

The other day I told Stormy that his tail is too cute I’m gonna pull it off and use it as a fridge magnet. Yes, I am crazy! Ahahahahahahahah!

[Rabbit lover]

I would say that it is to worn other bunnies when my bunnies are bonding and they are about to get in a fight they raise there tails as high as possible.

[LBJ10]

Hmm, you can’t see Wooly’s tail under all that fluff.

[peppypoo]

Posted By LBJ10 on 12/09/2011 07:37 AM
Hmm, you can’t see Wooly’s tail under all that fluff.

Maybe he doesn’t have one…Wooly is the next stage in bunny evolution! 

[Monkeybun]

Little Monkey’s tail is too itty bitty to warn anybunny of anything Squirrel and Moose have awesome tails. Nice and poofy. Smudge’s tail is just for showing off the single grey dot she has int he middle of it I think.

[LBJ10]

Posted By peppypoo on 12/09/2011 09:18 AM

Posted By LBJ10 on 12/09/2011 07:37 AM
Hmm, you can’t see Wooly’s tail under all that fluff.

Maybe he doesn’t have one…Wooly is the next stage in bunny evolution! 

 

Haha! Nope, he has one. It just blends in really well. I’m always afraid I’m going to cut it off.

[LoveChaCha]

Chacha’s tail is black on top, and white on the bottom. Of course it makes her mommy squee at her lovely tail!

Also she uses it to tell me “GO AWAY!”

[Tipsy Bunny]

well as I have noticed recently with a sexually active 6 month old who seems to want to let my stuffed animal rabbit know that she is top dog, when she humps it, her tail goes wild! It seems to help with the thrusting action… hahahahaha. My poor stuffed animal rabbit is bottom on the totem pole.

[Deleted User]

I was wondering the exact same thing!

[kralspace]

Why do bunnies have tails?

the better to shun us with 😉

[MarkBun]

The use of the white underside of the tail is also used as a diversionary tactic against predators. Imagine being a predator chasing a rabbit whose entire body blends into the surroundings except the tail. So you focus on that white dot that’s bouncing around in the distance. Then, suddenly, the white dot disappears due to the rabbit putting it down or simply hunkering down to hide. The eyes need to refocus, trying to find another reference point on their prey. This would give the rabbit an extra second of time to get away, if not simply disappear into the underbrush entirely.

[bunnyfriend]

Posted By RabbitPam on 12/09/2011 04:33 AM The winner of best tail was my Spockie. He used to spin it fast like a pinwheel when he got excited. 

 

Totoro does that too! When he sees me at the baby gate he comes running over doing this half corkscrew sideways thing with his body (partial binky?), tail spinning. He also does it when he does full on binkies. Oh and he did it during bonding when he was about to hump Wilbur LOL.

[Author]

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