why rabbits jump in a right angle????

Question

does anybody know why rabbits jump in a right angle when they run away from a preditor?

I need a good explanation and I need to know why other animals don't jump the way rabbits do when they run away from another animal

Answer 1

Not too easy to catch an animal that can change direction that much at speed, eh? Foxes and lynxes and etc. can turn well, but not that well. Generally, the faster you're going, the harder it is to change direction by very much (watch film of a gazelle trying to outrun a cheetah, for instance). Most animals can choose either to be hard to predict (like butterflies with their random fluttering) or hard to catch up to (like those gazelles). It's hard to be good at sharp changes of direction, though; big strain on the joints and muscles/tendons. You have to be small and compact like a rabbit to have a good shot at it, with huge legs and leg muscles. Most other animals seem to manage OK with other evasion strategies, so maybe the rabbit technique is too hard unless you're already built like a small kangaroo? just guessing there.

Answer 2

Evolutionary process has favored rabbits that use this evasive manouever.. apparently its more effective for evading predators. I guess the rabbits that didnt jump like that didnt stay out of a predators mouth long enough to reproduce, and pass on their inferior evasive manouever technique..lol

Answer 3

Because jumping at an acute angle is too hard for them to calculate.

Answer 4

By being nibble means they can avoid the predator more efficiently. It is very hard to catch something zig-zagging.