A Bunny with Hang Time

Whether Easter bunny or rascally rabbit, these creatures have hops.

Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. Today’s fact is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Photo by Jennifer Chen on Unsplash

Excited rabbit hops are called “binkies.”

Easter is this Sunday. As you may know, the Easter Bunny is one of the most famous holiday mascots around. In fact, among most recognizable holiday mascots, it probably goes:

1. Santa Claus

2. Easter Bunny

3. Pumpkin or Friendly Skeleton

Maybe you’re more of a Cupid or Uncle Sam fan, but the point stands: The Easter Bunny is up there.

In general, bunnies can get up there, too. Their energetic hops, which often involve their heads flailing, their torsos turning and their feet kicking, are known as “binkies.”

It’s not entirely clear why rabbits do this excited jump. Most likely, it started as a way to evade predators. Then rabbits thought, “Wait a minute, I like the vibes this creates, let’s do more of it.”

Today, binkies are usually a sign that a rabbit is energized by the environment around them and in good health. Much like me sinking into the couch, an older rabbit will probably just not want to move at all and certainly won’t want to throw their paws in the air and/or wave them like they just don’t care.

Beyond binkies, rabbits can also express emotion or contentment by purring, sprawling on the ground, and tossing toys around. They probably do not pick up after themselves, but we’ll allow it because of the cuteness.

Now, let’s hop into the weekend with all the enthusiasm of Fit and Tee (visual examples below).

Also a quick programming note: Fun Fact Friyay is taking a couple of weeks off! I’ll be back here on May 9, ready with more delightful facts for your Fridays. Feel free to check out any of the other stories around here in the meantime!