These Mutant Rabbits Walk on Two Legs, and Geneticists Now Know Why

[staarker]

An entire lineage of French rabbits has been doing handstands for nearly a century. The acrobatic bunnies are not so much performing a stunt as they are a product of stunted genetics, according to a paper published this week in PLOS Genetics.

First discovered in a domesticated rabbit living in a Parisian suburb in 1935, the recessive trait is the product of a genetic mutation that could have been hidden in the animals’ genetic code for generations, only to surface then. It’s not a superpower. The rabbit variety—the “sauteur d’Alfort,” or “the Alfort jumper”—is also more likely to develop cataracts and become blind.
https://gizmodo.com/these-mutant-rabbit ... 1846562358

[ricky1874]

Amazing! This is the first time I've ever heard of these kinds of rabbits. It makes you wonder is this how evolution works....a mutanted gene that helps a species survival and then becomes a normal part of their DNA.