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anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
On the subject of fear, I came across this today from an article in Discover magazine:
“Using high-resolution MRI imaging, they scanned the brains of both wild and domestic rabbits to pinpoint differences that could explain their behavior. They found that in the eight pet rabbits they scanned, the amygdala, a part of the brain that processes fear, was 10 percent smaller than in their wild counterparts. At the same time, the medial prefrontal cortex — the area that controls responses to fear — was 11 percent bigger in pet rabbits. The scientists also discovered that the brains of domesticated rabbits have less white matter than their wild relatives, making them less able to process information — and dampening that primal instinct to flee.”
Chompsky still catches fright regularly, and if sufficiently rattled, hides behind the couch, his safe place. Doesn’t like big birds,
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwXnh4ULZI&t=1m37s
low flying planes or helicopters (the military takes a short cut through our valley from time to time), the sound of the boiler kicking in, and probably the smell of foxes. Or the sight of either of us walking into a room carrying something which distorts the shape he’s used to.
When he’s really alarmed he’ll stomp his hind legs. The worst is when he lets out a rabbit’s version of a wail: it sounds a little like Chewbacca(!), but not so long-winded. He made that noise the first time he caught sight of a sheep just outside the window. Fortunately he’s used to them now.
View: https://youtu.be/qeuL5IGimCQ
I often feed him on my lap. More than once he’s gotten spooked by whatever, pivoted in a flash, and launched himself with a swift kick to my groin. Domesticated though he may be, he’s still wild at heart.
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