Rabbit scream or a last resort to lure in more predators

A

AfricaPredator

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Whats your take on why rabbits scream when attacked by cats or predators or other animals? I have my ideas on this, whats yours?

I personally dont think that a rabbit screams because its been eaten by a critter and thats that, I think that the rabbit is playing its last card in the deck, by screaming the rabbit alerts other predators to the fact that his in big trouble and this lures in more jackals or coyotes or whatever, then by doing this the rabbit has an escape chance while his original attacker is trying to keep other predators at bay.

So, while the original predator is fighting off other intruders the rabbit can maybe make a getaway, I think its playing his last hand at survival?

What you think? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
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Maybe so, but wouldn't the rabbit them have that many more hungry jaws to contend with?? Maybe they're trying to peirce the predators ear drums so they let go? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
I have never heard a rabbit scream while being attacked by a predator, but my guess is that the screaming doesn't last long. Maybe 10 seconds. I would suspect that a coyote or fox would kill it pretty quickly. I don't know that for fact tho.
Then why do I use rabbit distress calls for longer than 10 seconds, you ask? Cuz it works, I suppose.

I think the sreaming is in response to pain.
 
africapredator, i have heard the same thing, that its not screaming to alert other rabits, but the loud screams sometimes surprise the attacker into dropping it. i have heard these screems first hand, they are very surpriseing. had a beagle pup catch a semi tame rabbit and it started screaming, the pup didnt let it go tho, and i had to seperate them so the pup wouldnt kill it. rabit wasnt hurt to bad, but i learned a few things.
on another occation i heard a rabbit scream like that in the wild, it would scream a few seconds then stop for a bit then start up again. i walked up to the sound quietly and found a ferel cat had caught himself a bunny and was playin with it. its hind end was injured so it couldnt just run away from the cat. the rabbit would try to move and the cat would pounce , the rabbit scream and the cat would let go and watch it til it moved again.
 
I have heard and watched rattlesnakes catch rabbits. They scream steady until the poison takes hold; then they slowly die down. With predators it is like broknaero stated. They like to play with their catch sometimes. It is an off and on scream until the kill. With this knowledge I call both ways, broken and steady to see what will bring them that day.
 
When I was a preteen (about a thousand years ago) my brothers and I would see young rabbits in the back yard. We had very few toys so one of us would chase the little guy. When one brother got tired the other took over until we tired the rabbit and finally caught it. The rabbit would not scream until we picked it up and then the tunes would start. Most bunnies screamed until we set the rabbit free. They would sit there for a short time and then run away never to scream again until the next chase. I have seen rabbits caught by hawks, owls, and fox and in each case the rabbit screamed until it appeared dead. None of the predators left hold of the rabbit at any time until the screaming stopped. Then down the hatch it went.
 
When I smash my thumb with a hammer and I am screaming and yelling, cussing, I'm not calling other hammers.

It just simply HURTS! I didn't utilize a P.H.D to figure that out. DUH!
 
In the late 70's i worked on a ranch where we raised and trained greyhounds for the track. Part of the training included using trapped wild jack rabbits. Beleive me when the dogs get a hold of one the scream for all they are worth. Having observed that scene many times over,I can attest to the fact that rabbits do scream loud and long while being attacked and eaten.
 
I live in the middle of several packs of coyotes and a jillion cottontails and jacks.

I have no idea what they're saying or doing when screaming. About once a year I get treated to a noisy capture and kill, usually in the distance, but a couple of times right in the backyard.

Screee....Screee...Screeee............Screee... Screee...Screeee.... Scr...kkkgghhh...crunch... silence.

Five to eight seconds from start to finish.

I shot a skunk the other day with a .22 right near the back porch.... weird freakin noises. Left it a few minutes to answer the phone and when I went back to dispose of it the only thing that was left was the coyote tracks. Eeeeeewww. That's gotta be some real bad breath!

How do you think Gerald and Byron get them to scream? Alligator clips?
 
I was fox hunting one night and had gotten out of the truck for some reason and was walking with a flashlight and not 15 feet away a rabbit let out a scream, lasted 2 secons probably, I spun around with the light and walked over to where I heard the noise and I found some fur and blood and that was it. Scared the crap out of me.
 
I had a guy relate a story to me. his job was clubbing rabbits and skinning them. he said once he did not get the job done before skinning the bunny and it came to during the skinning process and that was the first time he'd heard the scream from a rabbit. he said he'll never forget it. if this is true as told, might be the pain thing. although I really like the Idea of playing his last card.....
 
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I would have to gues it is an instictive sound made in conjunction to fear/fright or pain. I dont think rabbits or hares have the brains to say Hmmmmm , this thing is going to eat me so im gunna scream realloud in hopes more critters will show up to fight over me and I might be able to escape in all the camotion.
 
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When I smash my thumb with a hammer and I am screaming and yelling, cussing, I'm not calling other hammers.

It just simply HURTS! I didn't utilize a P.H.D to figure that out. DUH!



/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
when you know your gona smash your thumb with a hammer you yell "owwww!" sometimes even befor it happens. sometimes it doesnt even happen but was real close and you made a little noise. makes you feel real stupid. instinctual, maybe? we can talk about this all day but who knows? have any of us been eaten by something? and if so did you scream while being eaten? and why? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 


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