The fear factor in rabbits

The fear factor in rabbits


Rabbits are often counted as the third most popular pet in the United States. And with proper care, many now live into their teens. But with all that, scientists are just starting to answer some long-posed questions about rabbit behavior.

For example, why don’t pet rabbits run away from us in fear like their wild counterparts do? We’ve assumed that as rabbits were handled more over the years, they simply changed their behavior.

But there’s more to it than that. When researchers used MRI scans to compare the brains of wild and domestic rabbits, they discovered that the part of the brain that gives rise to fear is considerably smaller in domestic rabbits. What’s more, the brain area that controls fear responses is that much larger.

This finding raises another question: did behavior changes alter the brain itself or vice-versa?

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