Many mammals, like jackrabbits, live all across America. The Black-Tailed Jackra

Question

Many mammals, like jackrabbits, live all across America. The Black-Tailed Jackrabbit lives in hot desert areas in the Western U.S. and Mexico. The White-Tailed Jackrabbit lives in higher altitudes, plains, prairies, and alpine meadows - all cooler areas. Which species will have longer ears? Many mammals, like jackrabbits, live all across America. The Black-Tailed Jackrabbit lives in hot desert areas in the Western U.S. and Mexico. The White-Tailed Jackrabbit lives in higher altitudes, plains, prairies, and alpine meadows - all cooler areas. Which species will have longer ears?

Explanation / Answer

The black-tailed desert jackrabbit has longer ears as compared to white tailed jackrabbit. The jackrabbit’s large ears provide an expansive surface area of exposed skin loaded with blood vessels. When the surrounding air temperature is slightly below the rabbit’s body temperature, as when it retreats from hot desert sun into shade, the blood vessels in the outer part of its ears widen in a process called vasodilation. This results in greater circulation of warm blood from the body’s core to the jackrabbit’s ears, where heat is lost to the cooler surrounding air. This cooling mechanism based on blood circulation helps to prevent overheating and maintain the jackrabbit’s body temperature within set boundaries.

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