A Rare Hermit-Crab Rabbit

I have mentioned in a previous post how the Austin Science and Nature center features quite a few "non-exotic" species of animals. While many of the Center's residents can be commonly seen outside of a zoo context, the center chooses to present these creatures with great fanfare and in heavily fortified environments.

When I came across this over-weight rabbit I assumed it was another example of the center's tendency to celebrate the less unusual species of the animal world. Why, I wondered, was this harmless bunny in a cage that could house a pride of Lions? Why did the zoo-keepers surround Mr. Nibbles with more security than Alcatraz? And why the prop tree-trunk that, frankly, doesn't seem completely rabbit-appropriate anyway?

Then I realized that this was no common rabbit. This is a photo of a rare Hermit-Crab Rabbit. This rabbit hollows out tree trunks with its razor sharp incisors and then snugly fits its body into them, walking, literally, with its "house on its back." Like a hermit crab, its lower body is also a slimy worm-like tail that rarely sees the light of day. Pretty Cool!