For fifteen years, I’d been searching for it: the most elusive creature known to humankind. They all told me I was completely off my rocker to try to do a PhD on the behavior of jackalopes. “Jacbob,” they’d say. “You know the jackalope is not a real animal, right? It’s a gimmick for tourists! Who keeps giving you research funding?!” But they were wrong.
Just last week, my search brought me to rural Wyoming, where I saw a strange animal in the grass behind a pickle store and pickle-themed souvenir shop. It had long ears, antlers, too big to be a regular jackrabbit but too small to be an antelope – a bona-fide jackalope. And anyone who says otherwise is a hater. Thanks to my brand new findings, based on a total of thirty seconds of recorded observations and some informed guesswork, I’ve uncovered some of the biggest mysteries behind this incredible species.
The American Jackalope (Lepus antilocapra) is a medium sized, burrowing mammal that is a close relative of the more common black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus). It typically ranges in prairie and desert scrubland in the American West and is distinguishable by both its considerable size (about as big as a mid-sized dog), and its ferocious antlers, which males use during the summer breeding season to fight for mates.
As all jackalope enthusiasts know, this species only mates during thunderstorm season [1]. While researchers are trying to figure out why, the currently accepted hypothesis is that most predators find thunderstorms much too scary to hunt in, giving the jackalopes a perfect window to lock antlers with one another in fiery competition to the thematic backdrop of lighting strikes. Jackalope males who win these fights are more likely to pass on their genes, and the females keep a close eye on the winners of these contests. Dramatic lightning lighting may increase females’ attention to the battles and help inform their selection of the best male.
Even outside of storm season, predators will have a hard time catching up to a fleet-footed jackalope. According to my research, their powerful hind legs are loaded with fast-twitch muscle fibers, allowing them to reach top speeds of over 120 mph (or 193 km/h) in a little under two seconds, leaving a 75 mph (or 120 kph) cheetah in the dust. This makes the jackalope the fastest known land animal. Extraordinarily, when the jackalope accelerates up to top speed, it makes a vocalization that sounds almost identical to a revving race car engine. It is likely that this vocalization is used to discourage predators from ever believing they could catch up. You can listen to a recording of the jackalope’s vocalizations below, which has been incorrectly titled “Race Car Sound Fx.”
Indeed, the jackalope appears to possess a wide range of vocalizations, including the ability to mimic human speech. According to my buddy Gary, who holds a theoretical PhD in ecology, this mimicry likely evolved as a direct response to human predation. Sources claim that the jackalope can effectively throw its voice by using a process similar to dolphin echolocation, causing people to hear a vocal pattern that sounds eerily similar to “Hey, what’s that over there?” in English. Once its pursuers turn their heads to the source of the noise, the jackalope immediately accelerates up to top speed in the opposite direction, which allows it to avoid human detection in over 99.5% of encounters.
As weather patterns shift across the world, only time will tell where the incredible jackalope may turn up, so keep your eyes and ears peeled. I will be keeping a close watch during storm season myself this month: after my very first sighting in fifteen years on the job, I’m not going to let the jackalope make me an April Fool. I’ve cherished my time in the field with this incredible species, and if you hear the telltale sign of a race car engine revving in the tall grass, act fast! You might just catch a glimpse of our hidden antlered rabbit friends before they rocket away.
Cover image: American Jackalope (Lepus antilocapra) by the roadside. Photo by Found Image Holdings/Getty Images. [Source]
Written by: Jacbob Johonson is a 16th-year PhD student at UC Davis. He spends his time searching for jackalopes and does literally nothing else other than sleeping and eating. He also likes April Fool’s jokes.
References:
- Branch, M. P. (2024, January 24). The Legend of the Horned Rabbit of the West. High Country News. https://www.hcn.org/articles/books-the-legend-of-the-horned-rabbit-of-the-west/
- Johonson, Jacbob (2024). This Was Revealed To Me In A Dream.
- Gary (2024). Personal Communication. Journal of Hypothetical Theoretical Ecology on Non-Fictional Animals 4(1).