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Buck teeth
Off the Wall
Jan. 14, 2010
You may remember last year
I had the indubitable pleasure of interviewing Delbert, a buck
readying to find its mate during the rut of deer season. Well,
it may be of interest to you that I happened to encounter our
four-legged friend while heading to my favorite fishing hole
on Loyalhanna Creek. I think he was as much surprised to see
me as I, him.
So, first off, I had to congratulate him for making it through
firearms' season. He sighed in relief snorting with a smile on
his face as he demonstrated his positive mood.
And then, just as two friends who'd come to meet after not seeing
each other for a spell, I happened to ask, "Well, Delbert,
what's new?" That started the ball rolling.
"I wasn't the only one to make it through hunting season,"
he pointed out. "Let me take you over and introduce you
to Bunny Woople." And so I met a new inhabitant of the woods
in Unity Township.
"You see," Delbert emphasized, "there is something
very special about Bunny and Mrs. Woople. Are you ready for this,
Paul?" I nodded, for I couldn't wait to learn something
new. "A male rabbit is also called a buck, and yes, you
got it, a female is called a doe. And you probably thought we
deer only had those names given to us, right? I'd like to think
that was true," he continued, but unfortunately that is
the truth."
Just as I was making myself comfortable amidst the drifts of
fallen snow, Mrs. arrived. I told her who I was and that Delbert
introduced me to her husband and that they didn't have to worry,
I was a friendly reporter just getting the facts, and all would
be all right.
Tell me about your children, I questioned them both. Mrs. piped
right up and told me all I had to know as I listened intently
amongst the wintry surroundings. "Our lineage goes back
many, many years," she began. "The Whoople name was
given to us at the onslaught of my family's beginning, and our
children have always been called Whooplewoos, woos interpreted
as 'little ones." That's how relatives always knew the adults
from the children. Formerly, we are called Kits, Kittens or a
kindling when we are born. But to actually let other rabbit families
know when our kind is born in the neighborhood, we use the lineage
name instead. If one of my Kits gets out of line, it is easier
for others to say the problem was caused by a Whooplewoo."
I heard your pregnancy lasts about one month and that you usually
have four to eight Kits. Is that true? "Yes, Paul. But here
is something I bet you didn't know. Each one is born deaf, blind
and without fur, so they are completely dependent on me for survival."
So, I know a nest is made before having your young. Do both you
and Bunny Whoople contribute 50/50? "Oh no," said the
Mrs. "I do most of the work. I will pull fur from my body
to make the nest nice and warm. I will feed them once or twice
a day with my milk." Then, she threw a question in my direction.
"Do you know that rabbit milk is one of the richest milks
found in mammals?" "Nope, didn't know that," I
responded.
Then Bunny and Mrs. Whoople shared additional tidbits that further
educated me.
"First of all, we do most our running around sunup or sundown.
If we are caught in the heat of things, say in the summer, we
can suffer heatstroke. Not a fun thing at all."
She went on. I was all ears (not rabbit ears, though). "We
can sense predators are near. If we become too frightened, we
can literally be frightened to death, Paul."
My imagination started to wander a bit when I was informed that
their teeth continue to grow no matter what age. I wondered if
that's where the expression came from - "buck teeth."
Of course, I didn't want to embarrass Bunny by asking him that
question.
Both Bunny and Mrs. Whoople assured me there was much more they
could tell me. I told them I would surely love to come back when
the Whooplewoos are with them.
Departing, I saw Delbert off in the distance and waved to him.
I then smiled at my little furry friends. May we both cross paths
soon again, I said. They nodded in agreement.
Paul J. Volkmann
Written: November 24, 2009
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