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Did you know that rabbits and hares are not the exact same animal? Many people assume that because the two mammals look so much alike, that rabbit and hare are two different words to describe the same animal. Wrong-o, amigos. There is an actual difference between these long-eared, puffy-tailed critters.

For one thing, rabbits are born with their eyes closed and with no fur to cover their bodies. Hares, on the other hand, do not need the protection of the underground rabbit burrow, because they are born with open eyes and a full coat of full. The hare also has longer ears and a bigger body than the rabbit.

Rabbits are found often as pets in peoples’ homes. There are many shapes, colors and sizes of domesticated rabbits. Some produce long hair that can be woven into clothing. Some have long, floppy ears, while others may have ears that are small and very rigid. When a rabbit in the home senses danger, it will communicate by stomping its hind feet on the ground. Look out for that when you happen to hang around a domesticated rabbit.

Rabbits in the wild are often a nuisance to local farmers. Who do you think steals all of those carrots in the middle of the night? Not squirrels! Yes, the stereotype of the rabbit munching on a carrot is based on reality. Wild rabbits also eat trees and the crops that farmers are working so hard to cultivate.

In fact, rabbits breed so quickly that they have caused problems in New Zealand where seven rabbits were transported from Europe in 1860 or so. These rabbits spread to Australia and bred so quickly that they took on the proportion of a pestilence. Since they were not native to Australia and New Zealand, none of their natural predators were present to control the rabbits’ spiraling population explosion. Folks Down Under still struggle to manage the rabbit population.

The main breed of rabbit in North America is the easily identifiable cottontail rabbit. You can tell that a rabbit is a cottontail because its tail looks like–what else–cotton. When it is terrified, it will stand still, hoping not to be noticed. If that doesn’t work, then it will run and run. And when that doesn’t work, the cottontail is capable of swimming away from its predator.

Don’t forget about hares, here. They are pretty cool too. In fact, the Snowshoe hare inhabits the majestic mountains of North America. If you’ve never seen one, then the Snowshoe hare’s camouflage is working. You see, this hare’s hair is white with black tips on its ears during the winter while it’s snowy outside. In the summer, the Snowshoe grows a reddish-brown fur, which blends into the rocks and trees of the mountain terrain.

Another of these critters that you might never see is the Jackrabbit who can run faster than some cars can drive! The black-tailed Jackrabbit can be found in the Western United States and Canada. It can run as fast as 70 miles per hour. Imagine how powerful its legs must be! Some of these rabbits can jump between 15 and 20 feet in a single bound. Amazing!

Keep an eye out in the evening for rabbits grazing on your neighbor’s lawn. But don’t blink your eyes, because that rabbit could bounce away with a flash of its tail.