ANIMAL EVOLUTION

DISCOVERY

• The fossils of the prehistoric rabbits later called the Nuralagus Rex (sometimes called the Minorcan giant lagomorph) was found on the island of Minorca.
• Scientists said that the Nuralagus lived in the messinian period.

HABITAT

• From the bones found the Nuralagus lived in the scrublands of Minorca
• The modern rabbit generally lived in forest, medows, grasslands, deserts and wetlands where they would then make their homes in the ground, these are called burrows.
• The habitats of the Nuralagus and the modern day rabbit are different because the rabbits now sleep in burrows and from what scientists found so far the Nuralagus did not

SKELETAL STRUCTURE

• The Nuralagus had a short stiff spine which resulted in low mobility and the inability to jump. It also had a comparatively small skull. The Nuralagus was said to be half a meter tall and weigh up to 12kg (26lb). It also had very small ears and eye sockets.
• The modern rabbit has a light spine which enables it to lift its entire body off the ground when it jumps. The animal has longer hind legs starting from the knee down making the legs more powerful

SKELETAL STRUCTURE P2

• Josep Quintana the scientist who discovered the Nuralagus bones at first thought it was a Minorcan turtle but the hare like skull and the comparatively puny brain meant it had to be a ancestor of the modern rabbit.

EVOLUTION

• The Nuralagus is a lot different from the rabbits now, for instance the Nuralagus weighed six times more then the modern European rabbit.
• The Nuralagus as we know couldn't jump and couldn't move very well due too it's short stiff spine where is the modern rabbit could jump and was very agile.
• Due to the small ears and eyes scientists say that the Nuralagus probably couldn't hear or see very well unlike the modern day rabbit.

COMPARING

• Similarities: The Nuralagus has a similar shaped head as the modern rabbit.
• Scientists say that the Nuralagus had the same size eyes and ears as the the modern rabbit but due to the sheer size of the Nuralagus they weren't as useful.

COMPARING P2

• Differences: The Nuralagus couldn't jump and couldn't move very well and the modern rabbit could.
• The Nuralagus weighed up to 12kg and the modern rabbits can weigh from 2-4kg.
• The Nuralagus had a height of half a meter(50cm) and the modern rabbits have a height of 12.5-45 cm

NURALAGUS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Wikipedia
• News. Nationalgeographic.com
• Livescience.com
• Earthsky.org
• Phys.org
• News.com.au