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Subscribe to RSSA rabbit without long ears? Supposedly living just outside the 19-mile (30-kilometer) exclusion zone surrounding Japan's radiation-stricken Fukushima nuclear site? Now there's a video that's made to go viral!
The YouTube clip has been viewed nearly 2 million times since it was uploaded two weeks ago, and it's sparking all sorts of speculation about the mutation risk to other living things due to the radiation leak. The problem is, you can't really tell anything about genetic risks from one mutant rabbit — particularly when the mutation has been seen lots of times before, without any connection to radiation exposure. There's this run-of-the-mill earless rabbit from Britain, for example. And this rabbit. And these rabbits. And ... well, we could pile on the cute bunny pictures all day. Rabbits have even been known to lose their ears due to overgrooming rather than genetic causes. So it's way too big a leap to blame this one on Fukushima's radiation leak, let alone suggest that humans might suffer a heightened incidence of birth defects.
If you really want to find out what's going on in Japan, check out "After the Wave," msnbc.com's special report about the aftermath of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident. The concerns about Fukushima's long-term legacy are serious enough without playing the cute-animal card. Although I have to admit the video is pretty cute.
Update for 3 p.m. ET: University of Miami biologist Dana Krempels, an expert on rabbits, provided this perspective in an email:
"There are many different reasons a rabbit may be born this way or acquire this characteristic early on, not least of which is a stressed mother rabbit who overgrooms her babies to the point of mutilation. This is the most common reason we see baby bunnies with missing ears or limbs. So while it's possible that the earless condition of this baby is congenital (i.e., bun was born with it), it's also possible that it was acquired after birth.
"I have to wonder whether there are any other bunnies in the group that have anomalies like that. I didn't see any. And that would make me very hesitant to cry 'Radiation!' just because one baby bunny is missing his external ear pinnae.
"I can't tell from the video whether the bunny has ear canals covered by the fur. If not, that would tell us that this isn't a result of a mother's overgrooming, but rather some kind of birth defect. Whether it's due to radiation or some other factor is not possible to say, since these types of malformations do occasionally occur in the absence of known mutagens.
"Sadly, only time will tell whether the radiation leaks are affecting the germline (i.e., the cells that will become eggs or sperm) or embryos of human and non-human animals in the irradiated regions of Japan. But a sample size of one bunny is far too small to make a positive conclusion."
More cute mutants:
- Two-headed snake's long, odd life ends
- Video: Kitten born with two faces in Ohio
- Curious about four-eared cats?
- YouTube: Four-eared rabbit in California
This AOL Weird News report spends a lot of bandwidth on the mutant-bunny story, but for more of a reality check, consult Depleted Cranium and the Marketing Japan blog.
You can connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter. Also, give a look to "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
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Looks like a white hamster or guinea pig
Just wait till those evil bunny rabbits start to attack people and rip their heads off. Run Away, Run Away, its the most foul tempered rabbit you have ever seen!!
Those Monty Python guys haven't met my little black menace at home. Found her in my yard, she's 9 lbs of terror. Has a temper and a set of teeth that would put that little white thing to shame.
Kept her because she's awesome. Who needs a guard dog when I've got Rogue?
And...at least she has her ears.
Rogue is an awesome name for a rampaging Rabbit, on a side note when I was a little kid one of our neighboors rabbits got loose from across the street on easter Sunday. I was playing outside of the house and it hopped over into our yard and was eating grass when I saw it.
I went over and picked it up and brought it into the house and told my mom that I found the Easter bunny (I was 10 I believe) I kept it for a few days till my mother found the owners. I was so sad when I had to give him back.
Heh, she was an Easter bunny. We were told she belonged to our neighbors a few doors down, but when we brought her back they said they didn't want her anymore just a month after Easter and set her "free". I guess they didn't know or care that it tends to kill domestic bunnies. She was covered in fleas and pretty underweight, and we had to clean oil from sleeping under cars off her fur.
She just doesn't trust people, but we're working on it still, 2 years after we got her. She bites and thumps and makes noises when she doesn't want something, won't listen and she's extremely strong, fast and agile. She frequently gets on and off the furniture or anything else high enough, or hides in small hard to reach spaces.
She's more of a companion for our little fat bunny Bandit. He's almost the polar opposite. Likes people (and some dogs and cats!) and gives kisses. They're both fixed by the way. No babies. Bandit was his name when we adopted him, and I was gonna change it to Gambit. Figured it was close enough, but once I got Bandit into my head, I couldn't make the switch. Oh well.
ZOMG A birth defect!? Rabbits have never had those until radiation D:
/endsarcasm
What a moron.. there is a breed of rabbit with no ears
@Kevin - Please note the sarcasm tags and pretend like you have a sense of humor.
Have a nice day!
To add some poor humor to a terrible situation, but isn't Japan the best place for giant killer rabbits due to radiation? Now Godzilla has something new to fight
But will the movie have two different endings like King Kong vs Godizilla ?
"Now Godzilla has something new to fight"
And EAT!
The final scene is a couple of monks chanting mantras and reciting the use of the Holy Thermonuclear Device. One ending results in the HTD blasting the both of them to tiny bits. Another has them both being knocked into a deep slumber, where they are returned to My Fuji to rest until the sequel. A third ending has the Rabbit tearing the heads off the scientists before they can count to 5 ...errr 3!, and while the rabbit is distracted Godzilla crushes it.
It's got big teeth!
Shouldn't that be Nucl Bunny (Nuclear minus ear)? :-). He's awfully cute. I hope the poor thing can still hear.
What a stupid assumption.
Give me a F@#$%$ng break. Some assumption of the eco freaks.
It's just a bunny!
But it's got big....It can leap....Look at the bones!
bring forth... the HOLY HAND GRENADE!!
yea, dna subprogram number 25412544....if radiation level y detected, ears waste of energy, at level y radiation then big boom and nothing else can hear audio either....load next dna subprogram....
aye and as random output of that function; maybe instead of ears, this bunny has tiny subdermal "eyes" that can see in Gamma and X :D
To me this bunny is cute.. just because he doesnt have ears doesnt make him mutated... everything and every animal are different... who knows maybe the bunnies with ears are the mutated ones... if this was my bunny it would be considered one of the normallest bunnies in the world... just because it looks different doesnt mean that there is anything wrong with him.. I So want him as my pet!. There are people and things born with two heads.. or missing parts of them.. does that mean they are mutated... just because someone is born deaf does that mean that they are mutated... to me its the same thing... i believe everyone is different.. and the includes animals... and plants
actually yes if the bunny was born this way it IS a mutation. Sheesh learn what mutation is.
born deaf and born with no ears are two different things
All this fuss about some lazy worthless rabbits. If they would get off their a$$es and get a job so they could pay for health insurance, then they could afford prosthetic ear transplants! Instead they will probably just find lawyers that will take their case on contingency and sue the plant owners for hundreds of millions. Even if they win they'd likely just squander the money and die young of drug and alcohol abuse. Dang rabbits!
While I'm sure it's just a random mutation, like the cats that have been born with no ears, I hope they take good care of it.
Bunnies use their ears to help keep cool, much like how we sweat and dogs pant. Without them, he may have trouble regulating body temperature.
I thinks its cool........it cant hear the other rabbits talking behind its back......who knows what evil lurks in the heart of rabbits ?
Sure, sure it's a 'random mutation'. I'll buy that if you can also explain the laser vision. :D :D
I'm more worried about Bunnicula here in the US. All those vampire vegetables can't be a good thing.
I won't get excited until we get rabbits 6 feet long. That ought to be some good eating! Rabbit steak. Yum!
the talk her is crazy. wait til the real mutations and birth defect, then youll be laughing, the MELT THROUGH has and will contaminate both japan, the pacific, and the western us/canada because tepco has a problem with lying to people. good luck.