I found a fossil of a rabbit whose size is six times as large as normal, moved slowly without jumping

SpanishMinorcaSo, a fossil of a huge rabbit, which is considered to be six times as large as usual, was discovered.

As a result, it seems that about 5 million years ago on Menorca Island, there was a huge rabbit having a shape which is quite different from that of modern rabbits. Although they are a type of rabbit, they are said to have seen that they were moving slowly, because their hind legs are short and their backbone is too hard to jump.

Details about the giant rabbit are from the following.Night of the Nuralagus rex | Wired Science | Wired.com

Giant Ancestor to the Easter Bunny Had Small Ears and No Hop - Animal News: Animal Planet

It seems that the discovery of new fossils showed that a huge rabbit was present on Menorca Island five million years ago. The weight was about 26 pounds (about 11.8 kg), about 6 times bigger body of current rabbit, short ear, small eye, did not jump.

Josep Quintana of the project leader, Catalonia Paleontology Research Institute says, "They are very quiet and can be thought of as moving slowly and powerfully."

The newly discovered rabbit is called "Nuralagus rex", it is thought that it was a peaceful creature without natural enemy. They do not have a long and supple spine like that seen in modern rabbits, their spines are short and hard and can be seen as not being able to jump.

This is a modern rabbit. I have long ears and big eyes.


Brian Kraatz, assistant professor of anatomy at Western Health Sciences University in Pomona, California, USA said, "Rabbits appeared about 400,000 years ago and are happily living to the present as well "There is a basic assumption", "This newly discovered rabbit (in that sense) is different from any rabbit we know, including those discovered as living rabbits and fossils at the moment It is very interesting, compared with the big body, the length of the hind feet is rather short and it is not suitable for jumping. "

Image of skeleton of Nuralagus rex. Because the whole size is completely different, we can not simply compare with modern rabbits, but you can see that the hind leg is shorter than the size of the body.


Unfortunately for these huge rabbits, it seems that the temperature of the island that was comfortable was ruined by climate change and the environment of the island was ruined, resulting in extinction.

Quintana said that he expects this "king of rabbits" to be a mascot in Menorca.