WEBVTT - Do Rabbits Really Go Crazy in March?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey Brainstuff. Lauren Bogbaum here one heading off to visit

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<v Speaker 1>the Mad Hatter and March Hare. In the classic Lewis

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<v Speaker 1>Carroll story Alice in Wonderland, Alice utters the March Hare

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<v Speaker 1>will be much the more interesting, and perhaps, as this

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<v Speaker 1>is May, it won't be raving mad, at least not

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<v Speaker 1>so mad as it was in March. The concept of

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<v Speaker 1>the crazy March Hare dates back to at least the

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<v Speaker 1>start of the hundreds, when English playwright John Heywood wrote

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<v Speaker 1>and be as brainless as a March Hare. While hares

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<v Speaker 1>and rabbits are two distinctly different creatures, the hair is

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<v Speaker 1>slightly larger with brown tips on its ears of both

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<v Speaker 1>are known for going a little wild around the start

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<v Speaker 1>of March. Not all that coincidentally, late February or early

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<v Speaker 1>March also marks the start of the breeding season for

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<v Speaker 1>these creatures, and that wild reputation is likely tied to

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<v Speaker 1>mating rituals. As winter comes to an end and spring approaches,

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<v Speaker 1>the male rabbit begins his search for female rabbits to

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<v Speaker 1>mate with after the long winter dry spell. When he

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<v Speaker 1>finds a rabbit that's interested, they engage in according ritual

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<v Speaker 1>that can take many forms, and some rabbits show their

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<v Speaker 1>interest by running and racing, others leap or hop, and

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<v Speaker 1>some even take to boxing or fighting. After copulation, the

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<v Speaker 1>male may stick around for a few hours before he's

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<v Speaker 1>off in search of his next conquest. Male rabbits are polygamous,

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<v Speaker 1>and dominant males will attempt to breed with all willing

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<v Speaker 1>females on their turf, which can span as much as

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<v Speaker 1>twenty five acres. In areas with large concentrations of rabbits,

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<v Speaker 1>there's quite a bit of cording going on. Humans who

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<v Speaker 1>witnessed these rituals might easily wonder why the rabbits seem

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<v Speaker 1>to be a little off of leading to the concept

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<v Speaker 1>in question. Hairs also do their fair share to contribute

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<v Speaker 1>to this mad reputation. These docile looking creatures use their

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<v Speaker 1>powerful front legs to engage one another in rough and

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<v Speaker 1>tumble boxing matches. While animal experts once believed these matches

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<v Speaker 1>were mostly between male hairs fighting over female hairs, they

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<v Speaker 1>now know that unwilling female hairs box overly amorous males

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<v Speaker 1>to make it clear that they're not interested. As for

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<v Speaker 1>Alice's mad March hair, in May, two months into breeding season.

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<v Speaker 1>He may have had some time to sow his wild

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<v Speaker 1>oats a bit, but anyone familiar with the story knows

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<v Speaker 1>his madness was still going strong when Alice met up

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<v Speaker 1>with them four rabbits and hairs. The wild behavior that

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<v Speaker 1>begins in March can extend well into the autumn thanks

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<v Speaker 1>to the animals relatively long breeding season. Today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article do Rabbits really go crazy in March?

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<v Speaker 1>On how Stuff works dot Com, written by Bambi Turner.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with how stuff Works dot Com, and it is produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio

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