• Categorized under Animals | Difference Between Rabbit and Bunny

Rabbit vs Bunny

Rabbits and bunnies are not different from each other. Rabbits are informally or conversationally called bunnies. The reason behind this is they were called conyies in the 18th century. The young of conies were called rabbits, but then the popularity of the word changed the word from “cony” to “rabbit” itself. Paradoxically, in the modern times in informal ways, the young of rabbits are called bunnies which might sound a little bit like conies.

Rabbits belong to the Leoporidae family and Lagomorpha order. The males of rabbits are called bucks; the females of rabbits are called does, and the babies are called kittens or kits.

The habitat of rabbits is diverse, and the maximum population resides in North America. Rabbits live in burrows, grasslands, deserts, meadows, and wetlands. They are a social animal and usually live in groups. Other than North America, they are also found in Southeast Asia, Europe, Japan, Sumatra, South America, and Africa.

Rabbits feed on grass and leafy weeds. They are herbivores, and their diet includes intake of cellulose in large quantities.

Rabbits are a symbol of fertility. The reason behind this is that they have a very short gestation period, and their speed of reproduction is higher than many mammals. They breed very quickly and for many months; thus, they are used as symbols of fertility in the spring months. The festivals like Easter, which falls in the spring, has a huge importance of these animals.

How the Rabbit turned into a bunny, especially the Easter bunny

The tradition of the Easter hare (“hare” is absolutely different from a rabbit) was brought across the Atlantic by German immigrants. The original story goes like this: Children used to wait for hares to come to their homes at night on the eve of Easter and lay eggs in the baskets which the children had made themselves. These baskets were actually meant to be nests made by old clothing and baskets. Hares (they are mammals; they don’t lay eggs) are different from a rabbit and give birth to young ones in nests in contrast to rabbits who give birth in burrows. Thus the origin of Easter baskets. The word “hare” changed to the word “bunny” as it was easier to pronounce, and the animal “rabbit” also called “bunny” was prettier, smaller and cuddlier than the hare.

Summary

1.Though rabbits and bunnies are the same animals, yet when reference to Easter is given, the animals which are celebrated and most important on that day are bunnies. Nobody calls them Easter rabbits or Easter hares.

2.According to some people, in the informal language, bunnies are the babies of rabbits. In formal language, the babies of rabbits are called kittens or kit.