Ears have always been the most recognizable feature of rabbits, making it hard to imagine how they would look without them. Nevertheless, nature works in peculiar ways, and sometimes a rabbit is born with no fluffy, pointy ears in sight. Recently, one such bunny was born to an owner named Kylie Clarke from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Possibly due to a genetic mutation, her tiny bunny came into this world with a slightly different appearance than the other rabbits.
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The owner decided to name her Leo for a very good reason. The tiny bunny looks a little bit like a baby lion. “She’s just beautiful. We called her Leo because she just looks like a wee mini lion,” Clarke said.
Image credits: SWNS
Leo was born 6 weeks ago, and although she’s a bit lacking in the ears department, she seems to be a healthy and happy rabbit.
Image credits: SWNS
“Once Leo was born, I knew something wasn’t right, she didn’t look right. Then, as she got older, you could see she’s been born with completely no ears.”
Image credits: SWNS
“I was really scared at the start, but when I started doing a bit more research, I realized it’s so, so rare to happen, but it can happen. As far as I’ve researched, there’s no spot-on explanation, really. She’s otherwise happy and healthy,” Clarke said.
Image credits: SWNS
While the real reason why some rabbits are born lacking ears is unclear, their floppy ears serve an important function, especially for those growing up in the wild.
Image credits: SWNS
Ears help the animal detect and avoid predators by monitoring the sounds that surround them. Rabbits can hear sounds coming from up to 3 km away. Also, ears help with the thermoregulation of their bodies.
Here’s how people reacted
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Share on FacebookLeo is a beauty, and she does look like a guinea pig. I've had a couple of rabbits over the years, and they make lovely pets.
My rabbits, even the minis, all got along well with my cats. The cats, even the ones trained by their mothers to be hunters, never tried to hurt the rabbits. They learned not to play rough "carnivore games" with the rabbits the way they would with other cats or dogs, and responded to them more as they would to young kittens. I've even had dogs over the years that could learn to be gentle with the rabbits. I think people that have never had a pet rabbit don't realize what super personalities they have. They are quieter and more low-key than cats and dogs, but they have their own unique charm. And many of them are real cuddle-bugs. They can be house-broken, too.
Load More Replies...Awww what a cutie!! And yes it does happen with mama buns over grooming babies, I work with a bunny shelter and this is a thing. But they are still just as beautiful and amazing creatures. Totally underestimated as quality pets. Not just throw them in a hutch and give them a carrot kind of pets- real adorable, personable and sometimes little a******s type of pets <3
I have one of these monsters, she is a rescue. HOW THE F**K ON EARTH A HUMAN THINKS IT'S OK TO SQUEESHE A FACE? AND BREED AND BREED AND BREED! It's a f*****g rabbit face, it's fine! DON'T TOUCH! Sha has a lot of problems, just because hoomans thinks it's OK to change nature. Obviously not OK. Poor rabbits, poor dogs, poor cats, hoomans are frankensteining with you falks. It's not OK. 20200612_1...af1edb.jpg
She don't have nose it's so cute! NO it's not cute! 20200611_2...19978a.jpg
Load More Replies...We started with one, my son turned it into a bunny farm. We had to draw the line and sell all but two of them. He had studied and knew how to care for them so made a contrct each person had to sign and agree to or they weren't allowed to buy one. They had to hold them the right way, the way you do in the pics.,keep their feet dry, provide a salt block, give them clover flowers when in season(Their favorite) and the green tops of carrots not the orange. Fresh water every day and fresh bedding.Talk to them and love them. He was about eight at the time and respected every living thing. AND the Mom. doesn't eat their ears.She does have to have a place to rest away from them between feedings.
Leo is a beauty, and she does look like a guinea pig. I've had a couple of rabbits over the years, and they make lovely pets.
My rabbits, even the minis, all got along well with my cats. The cats, even the ones trained by their mothers to be hunters, never tried to hurt the rabbits. They learned not to play rough "carnivore games" with the rabbits the way they would with other cats or dogs, and responded to them more as they would to young kittens. I've even had dogs over the years that could learn to be gentle with the rabbits. I think people that have never had a pet rabbit don't realize what super personalities they have. They are quieter and more low-key than cats and dogs, but they have their own unique charm. And many of them are real cuddle-bugs. They can be house-broken, too.
Load More Replies...Awww what a cutie!! And yes it does happen with mama buns over grooming babies, I work with a bunny shelter and this is a thing. But they are still just as beautiful and amazing creatures. Totally underestimated as quality pets. Not just throw them in a hutch and give them a carrot kind of pets- real adorable, personable and sometimes little a******s type of pets <3
I have one of these monsters, she is a rescue. HOW THE F**K ON EARTH A HUMAN THINKS IT'S OK TO SQUEESHE A FACE? AND BREED AND BREED AND BREED! It's a f*****g rabbit face, it's fine! DON'T TOUCH! Sha has a lot of problems, just because hoomans thinks it's OK to change nature. Obviously not OK. Poor rabbits, poor dogs, poor cats, hoomans are frankensteining with you falks. It's not OK. 20200612_1...af1edb.jpg
She don't have nose it's so cute! NO it's not cute! 20200611_2...19978a.jpg
Load More Replies...We started with one, my son turned it into a bunny farm. We had to draw the line and sell all but two of them. He had studied and knew how to care for them so made a contrct each person had to sign and agree to or they weren't allowed to buy one. They had to hold them the right way, the way you do in the pics.,keep their feet dry, provide a salt block, give them clover flowers when in season(Their favorite) and the green tops of carrots not the orange. Fresh water every day and fresh bedding.Talk to them and love them. He was about eight at the time and respected every living thing. AND the Mom. doesn't eat their ears.She does have to have a place to rest away from them between feedings.
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