Its bone…. A little tiny tail bone.

After reading this post I had to Google what a rabbit’s tail is for and came across this site: What Physical Adaptations Does A Rabbit Have? I know it’s not exactly what you asked but it’s interesting. And yes, it’s made of bones. 

I hope that Sarita doesn’t mind, but this is an xray she had posted a few years back but it really shows the anatomy of a tail. 

Thats so cute, BB.

Don’t mind at all. I’m thinking that may have been Ms. Maxine.

I was wondering whose that was.

That article is interesting. But I think more important is that the tail acts as a flag, especially in cottontails. They alert other rabbits that there is a threat, as well as distract a predator that is right on their tail.

Posted By bunnyfriend on 07/19/2012 10:29 PM

After reading this post I had to Google what a rabbit’s tail is for and came across this site: What Physical Adaptations Does A Rabbit Have? I know it’s not exactly what you asked but it’s interesting. And yes, it’s made of bones. 

My only problem with that article is that it says that bunny tails are “small and ball-shaped”…huh? Anyone who’s ever stretched out a bunny tail knows that they’re actual tails, not round puff balls. 

I love that x-ray. Look at those little bones!

FluffyBunny, I had the same reaction to the ball-shaped comment that you did, and realized that they seem to be talking more about wild Cottontail rabbits than our domestic breeds. It makes sense in the wild, and if you look at lawn bunnies and others in natural habitats, their tails do seem small and round.

Our domestic pets are usually the result of years of breeding, even though we may not get them from breeders directly. Part of that activity is shaping the physique of different breeds, and I’ve noticed that some indoor rabbits have much longer tails that may be more flexible and expressive. My Spockie had a really long tail, for example. He was a Mini Rex. So the purpose and function of a tail will be different for a house rabbit. Ours tend to wave them like hands, especially when they are running away from doing a bit of mischief. Like a fuzzy wink.

 I’m sure that the existence of bone and muscle around it makes that intentional wiggling possible.

I also like the little feet on that xray. It shows how they can stretch their legs/feet out so straight when they’re relaxing. The heel bone just tucks under.

Very, very interesting!

RabbitPam — I can’t help but laugh at your tail comment when they run away from causing mischief. It’s SOOOOO true.

FluffyBunny and Rabbit Pam: Agreed! Totoro’s tail is the weirdest thing, it’s super long and not at all round.