On the small island of Minorca, a popular
European 1_____________ (TOUR) destination, 2___________ (RESEARCH) have
3_____________ (EARTH) the 4_____________ (FOSSIL) remains of an enormous
rabbit skeleton. A recent study published in the Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology 5______________ (LIGHT) this new find off the coast of Spain. This
massive rabbit, 6______________ (APT) 7____________(DUB) the Minorcan King of
the Rabbits (Nuralagus rex),
8_____________ (WEIGH) in at 12 kg (26.4 lbs)! — approximately ten times the
size of its extinct mainland cousin (Alilepus
sp.) and six times the size of the living European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus. The Sumo wrestler
of the rabbit world lived 9____________ (ALONG) creatures of similar
exaggerated proportions such as the giant dormouse, tortoise and bat.
When lead author Dr. Josep Quintana from the Institut de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont Museum (now Institut Català de Paleontologia) realized what he had discovered, he was 10_____________ (AWE), “When I found the first bone I was 19 years old, I was not aware what this bone represented. I thought it was a bone of the giant Minorcan turtle!”
The 11_____________ (ROLL) rabbit king lived approximately 3-5 million years ago and may be one of the oldest known cases of the “island rule” in mammals. 12___________ (SIMPLE) put, the island rule states that when on islands, big animals will get smaller and small animals will get bigger. This size change on islands may be due to reduced quantities of food or lack of mainland 13____________ (PREDATE). On Minorca, Nuralagus rex lived with few other 14_____________ (VERTEBRA) species. Some of its neighbours included a bat (Rhinolophus cf. grivensis), a large dormouse (Muscardinus cyclopeus), and the above-mentioned giant tortoise (Cherirogaster gymnesica). In the case of Nuralagus rex, the lack of predators allowed this rabbit to reach a giant size. Researchers believe that the physical environment, availability of prey and presence of predators dictated whether a species tended towards 15_______________ (DWARF) or 16______________ (GIANT), rather than purely arising from the general course of evolution.
Quintana and colleagues found that this giant rabbit had also lost its 17____________ (ABLE) to hop. The long 18____________ (SPRING) spine of a mainland rabbit is lost in Nuralagus rex, replaced by a short, stiff spine that would make 19___________ (JUMP) difficult. “I think that Nuralagus rex would be a rather 20_____________ (CUMBER) and clumsy rabbit 21____________ (WALK). Imagine a beaver out of water,” said Quintana.
Instead, this rabbit was most likely a 22______________ (DIG), searching for roots and tubers to eat. Additionally, because of lack of predators to worry about, Nuralagus rex lost 23__________ (VISION) and 24___________ (HEAR) 25___________ (ACUTE). Nuralagus rex had reduced eye socket size and reduced 26_____________ (AUDIO) bullae, suggesting smaller eyes and 27____________ (STUB) ears —a far cry from modern rabbit ears. So although it might be assumed that this rabbit must have had huge ears, that would be wrong; Nuralagus rex had relatively diminutive ears for its size.
Despite its 28_________________ (ODD), Nuralagus rex has many skull and teeth features found in rabbits—meaning there’s “no question” it’s a rabbit, according to Brian Kraatz, an expert in rabbit evolution at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. “Really, these are rather normal rabbit heads [29____________ (BE) large] stuck on 30__________ (TYPE) rabbit bodies,” said Kraatz, who was not involved in the study. "He was probably on an 31______________ (EVOLUTION) vacation," added Kraatz, "like an "32______________ (ISLAND) beach bum. He got too comfortable, and eventually went extinct."
Dr. Mary Dawson, a rabbit researcher at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, not involved in this study said, “For most of their over 40 million year history, members of the rabbit family have fit well within the size range exhibited by relatively well-known modern members of the family. Now discoveries on Minorca have added a giant to the mix, a 25 pound, short-legged rabbit”. Dr. Brian Kraatz, another specialist commented, “As evolution has shown repeatedly, strange things happen on islands. Quintana and colleagues 33________________ (DRAMA) demonstrate that these 34___________ (FLOP)-35__________(EAR) critters are not as biologically conserved as many of us have thought.”
What’s next for this huge rabbit? Co-author, Dr. Meike Köhler will examine its paleohistology; and then……. fame? Quintana is so excited about his new 36________________ (FIND) he thinks Nuralagus rex might even make a good island mascot, “I would like to use Nuralagus rex to lure students and visitors to Minorca!”
Since it transpires that the Menorcan king of bunnies was sadly not as agile as its living 37______________ (DESCEND) it might have been the 38_______________ (DISPUTE) king, but in truth it probably wasn’t a very happy bunny.
When lead author Dr. Josep Quintana from the Institut de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont Museum (now Institut Català de Paleontologia) realized what he had discovered, he was 10_____________ (AWE), “When I found the first bone I was 19 years old, I was not aware what this bone represented. I thought it was a bone of the giant Minorcan turtle!”
The 11_____________ (ROLL) rabbit king lived approximately 3-5 million years ago and may be one of the oldest known cases of the “island rule” in mammals. 12___________ (SIMPLE) put, the island rule states that when on islands, big animals will get smaller and small animals will get bigger. This size change on islands may be due to reduced quantities of food or lack of mainland 13____________ (PREDATE). On Minorca, Nuralagus rex lived with few other 14_____________ (VERTEBRA) species. Some of its neighbours included a bat (Rhinolophus cf. grivensis), a large dormouse (Muscardinus cyclopeus), and the above-mentioned giant tortoise (Cherirogaster gymnesica). In the case of Nuralagus rex, the lack of predators allowed this rabbit to reach a giant size. Researchers believe that the physical environment, availability of prey and presence of predators dictated whether a species tended towards 15_______________ (DWARF) or 16______________ (GIANT), rather than purely arising from the general course of evolution.
Quintana and colleagues found that this giant rabbit had also lost its 17____________ (ABLE) to hop. The long 18____________ (SPRING) spine of a mainland rabbit is lost in Nuralagus rex, replaced by a short, stiff spine that would make 19___________ (JUMP) difficult. “I think that Nuralagus rex would be a rather 20_____________ (CUMBER) and clumsy rabbit 21____________ (WALK). Imagine a beaver out of water,” said Quintana.
Instead, this rabbit was most likely a 22______________ (DIG), searching for roots and tubers to eat. Additionally, because of lack of predators to worry about, Nuralagus rex lost 23__________ (VISION) and 24___________ (HEAR) 25___________ (ACUTE). Nuralagus rex had reduced eye socket size and reduced 26_____________ (AUDIO) bullae, suggesting smaller eyes and 27____________ (STUB) ears —a far cry from modern rabbit ears. So although it might be assumed that this rabbit must have had huge ears, that would be wrong; Nuralagus rex had relatively diminutive ears for its size.
Despite its 28_________________ (ODD), Nuralagus rex has many skull and teeth features found in rabbits—meaning there’s “no question” it’s a rabbit, according to Brian Kraatz, an expert in rabbit evolution at the Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. “Really, these are rather normal rabbit heads [29____________ (BE) large] stuck on 30__________ (TYPE) rabbit bodies,” said Kraatz, who was not involved in the study. "He was probably on an 31______________ (EVOLUTION) vacation," added Kraatz, "like an "32______________ (ISLAND) beach bum. He got too comfortable, and eventually went extinct."
Dr. Mary Dawson, a rabbit researcher at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, not involved in this study said, “For most of their over 40 million year history, members of the rabbit family have fit well within the size range exhibited by relatively well-known modern members of the family. Now discoveries on Minorca have added a giant to the mix, a 25 pound, short-legged rabbit”. Dr. Brian Kraatz, another specialist commented, “As evolution has shown repeatedly, strange things happen on islands. Quintana and colleagues 33________________ (DRAMA) demonstrate that these 34___________ (FLOP)-35__________(EAR) critters are not as biologically conserved as many of us have thought.”
What’s next for this huge rabbit? Co-author, Dr. Meike Köhler will examine its paleohistology; and then……. fame? Quintana is so excited about his new 36________________ (FIND) he thinks Nuralagus rex might even make a good island mascot, “I would like to use Nuralagus rex to lure students and visitors to Minorca!”
Since it transpires that the Menorcan king of bunnies was sadly not as agile as its living 37______________ (DESCEND) it might have been the 38_______________ (DISPUTE) king, but in truth it probably wasn’t a very happy bunny.
KEY
1. tourist /ˈtʊərɪst/ (also less frequent touristy or touristic)
2. researchers
3. unearthed
unearth something to find something in the ground by digging. E.g. to unearth buried treasures. Police have unearthed a human skeleton.
4. fossilised
5. highlights
highlight something to emphasize something, especially so that people give it more attention. E.g. The report highlights the major problems facing society today.
6. aptly
aptly: appropriately, suitably. E.g. the aptly named Grand Hotel.
7. dubbed
dub: to give somebody/something a particular name, often in a humorous or critical way. E.g. The Belgian actor Jean–Claude Van Damme has been dubbed ‘Muscles from Brussels’.
8. weighed
weigh in (at something) to have your weight measured, especially before a contest, race, etc. E.g. Both boxers weighed in at several pounds below the limit. Her baby daughter weighed in at 6lb 4oz.
9. alongside: together with or at the same time as something/somebody. E.g. Traditional beliefs still flourish alongside a modern urban lifestyle.
10. awestruck /ˈɔːstrʌk/ feeling very impressed by something. E.g. People were awestruck by the pictures the satellite sent back to Earth.
11. roly-poly /ˌrəʊli ˈpəʊli/ (of people) short, round and fat. Plump. E.g. He was a roly-poly little man.
12. Simply
simply: in a way that is easy to understand. E.g. Anyway, to put it simply, we still owe them £2000. Simply put, we still owe them £2000.
13. predators
14. vertebrate /ˈvɜːtɪbrət/
dormouse: a small animal like a mouse, with a tail covered in fur.
15. dwarfism: the medical condition of being a dwarf. People who suffer from this condition are very short and often have short arms and legs.
16. gigantism /dʒaɪˈɡæntɪzəm/ (also giantism) a condition in which somebody grows to an unusually large size.
17. ability
18. springy /ˈsprɪŋi/ returning quickly to the original shape after being pushed, pulled, stretched, etc. Sp. Elástico. E.g. We walked across the springy grass.
stiff: firm and difficult to bend or move. E.g. stiff cardboard.
19. jumping
clumsy: a clumsy person moves in a way that is not careful or graceful, and breaks things or knocks against them. Sp. torpe, patoso. E.g. I spilt your coffee. Sorry—that was clumsy of me. His clumsy fingers couldn't untie the knot.
20. cumbersome: large and heavy; difficult to carry. E.g. cumbersome machinery.
cumber: To weigh down; burden. Sp. cargar. E.g. he was cumbered with many duties.
21. walking
beaver: Sp. castor
22. digger
digger: a person or an animal that digs.
tuber: the short thick round part of an underground stem or root of some plants, such as potatoes, which stores food and from which new plants grow. Sp. tubérculo.
23. visual
24. hearing
25. acuity (also less frequent acuteness)
acuity: /əˈkjuːəti/ the ability to think, see or hear clearly. E.g. a child's visual acuity.
26. auditory /ˈɔːdətri/ connected with hearing. E.g. auditory stimuli.
bulla /ˈbʊlə/ (pl bullae/ˈbʊliː/) Anatomy A rounded prominence.
Auditory bullae:
27. stubbier
stubby: short and thick. E.g. stubby fingers.
stub: the usually short end remaining after something bigger has been used up. E.g. a pencil stub; a cigarette stub.
a far cry from something a very different experience from something. E.g. All this luxury was a far cry from the poverty of his childhood.
28. oddities
oddity: /ˈɒdəti/ a person or thing that is strange or unusual. E.g. The book deals with some of the oddities of grammar and spelling.
29. albeit /ˌɔːlˈbiːɪt/ Although. A contraction of "al(though) it be (that)." E.g. He finally agreed, albeit reluctantly, to help us.
30. atypical
31. evolutionary
32. islander /ˈaɪləndə(r)/ a person who lives on an island, especially a small one.
beach bum: someone who spends most of his or her time having a good time on the beach
33. dramatically
34. floppy
floppy: hanging or falling loosely; not hard and stiff. E.g. a floppy hat. The puppy's floppy ears.
flop: to fall, move or hang in a heavy or awkward way, without control. E.g. Her hair flopped over her eyes.
35. eared
critter: /krɪtə(r)/ a living creature. E.g. wild critters.
36. findings [usually plural] information that is discovered as the result of research into something. E.g. The findings of the commission will be published today. These findings suggest that there is no direct link between unemployment and crime.
lure: /lʊə(r)/ to persuade or trick somebody to go somewhere. E.g. The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. Young people are lured to the city by the prospect of a job and money.
37. descendants
38. undisputed: that cannot be questioned or proved to be false; that cannot be disputed. That everyone accepts or recognizes. E.g. undisputed facts. The undisputed champion of the world. An undisputed masterpiece
Adapted from:
Phys.org
Related stories
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