Why Do Rabbits Thump Their Feet? Warning Signals Explained

Thumping as an alarm signal

The European rabbit, the wild ancestor of pet rabbits, lives in colonies in burrow systems called warrens. For a prey animal that feeds in the open, the most valuable piece of information is that a fox, stoat, cat or bird of prey is close. Thumping spreads that news quickly.

A thumping rabbit usually freezes first, raises its head and ears, and then drums one or more times with both hind feet together. Other rabbits that hear it stop feeding, look up and often run for the nearest burrow entrance. Because rabbits in a warren are often relatives, warning them also helps the thumper’s own genes survive.

Thumping is also a sign of stress more generally. Rabbits may thump when startled by a sudden noise, when they are disturbed near the nest or when they feel threatened by another rabbit.

Why thumping works so well underground

A rabbit’s hind legs are long and strongly muscled, built for explosive escape. When they slam down together, they produce a sharp sound that rabbits, with their large, mobile ears, can pick up from some distance. The thud also passes through the ground as vibration.

That matters in a warren. A rabbit resting deep in a tunnel cannot see what is happening outside, but it can still hear and feel a warning through the soil. Many burrowing animals use similar ground-borne signals; for example, some kangaroo rats in North American deserts drum their feet to communicate.

There is a trade-off. A thump can also be heard by the predator, and thumping is only one of a rabbit’s options. A rabbit that has not been noticed often does the opposite: it crouches low, flattens its ears and stays perfectly still, trusting its gray-brown camouflage.

White tails: the visual warning

Thumping is often followed by a second signal. The underside of a rabbit’s tail is bright white, and when the rabbit runs it holds the tail up so that the white patch bobs and flashes. This “tail flagging” is easy to see even in low light at dusk and dawn, when rabbits feed most.

Biologists think the white tail does two jobs. It warns other rabbits that one of the group is fleeing, so they should too. It may also act as a message to the predator: “I have seen you and I am already running.” For a fox or a cat, chasing an alert rabbit that is close to its burrow is usually a waste of energy. The cottontails of North America, named for their fluffy white tails, show the same flash when they run.

Other ways rabbits communicate

Rabbits rely far more on scent and body language than on sound.

• Chinning. Rabbits have a scent gland under the chin and rub it on twigs, stones, the ground and even other rabbits. Dominant rabbits chin most often, marking their territory and their group.
• Latrines. Rabbits leave piles of droppings at regular spots, especially along territory borders. These dung hills carry scent messages to neighbors.
• Other scent glands. Glands near the groin produce secretions that help rabbits recognize individuals and tell group members from strangers. Urine is also used in marking, and a buck may spray urine at a doe during courtship.
• Posture. Ears held up and forward show alertness; flattened ears and a crouched body can mean fear or submission; a stiff, stalking approach signals aggression.
• Sounds. Rabbits scream loudly when caught or terrified, growl when angry and grunt softly during courtship. Kittens squeak to their mother at feeding time.

Do other rabbits and hares thump?

Thumping is best known in the European rabbit and its domestic descendants, but it is not unique to them. European hares also drum their feet: they use their hind feet to warn of a predator and thump with their front feet when challenging another hare, behavior that can be seen during the spring chases of “mad March hares.” Find out more in Why do hares box?

Rabbits and hares differ in how they respond to danger. Rabbits run for burrows, so a quick group warning is very useful. Hares live alone above ground and depend on their speed, often lying flat and still until the last moment before bolting. The rabbit vs hare comparison looks at these differences in detail.

Why pet rabbits thump

Because all pet rabbits descend from wild European rabbits, they keep the same instincts. A pet rabbit may thump when it hears an unfamiliar noise, smells a predator such as a cat or a fox outside, or is startled. It is the same alarm signal its wild relatives use in the warren, even when there is no real danger nearby.