Rabbits have an undoubtedly important association with Easter, but they鈥檝e played important roles in many societies through the ages.
In Japanese folklore there is a and makes mochi (rice cakes). Historically rabbits were which led to their association with the Virgin Mary in Christianity, as they could reproduce while maintaining their .
In modern times, rabbits continued their association with reproduction when they became the vector for the first pregnancy test. Scientists discovered in 1931 that if the urine of a pregnant female human was injected into an immature female mouse or rabbit, the animal鈥檚 ovaries would show signs of follicular maturation and ovulation within a few days, due to the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin ().
This 聽 lead to the phrase 鈥渢he rabbit died鈥� being a euphemism for being pregnant, though this itself is a misnomer, since all rabbits and mice used for this test had to be killed before their ovaries could be examined and the test results given.
Luckily today we detect hCG in pregnant people鈥檚 urine via the , no bunny death necessary! Though rabbits have maintained their , largely due to their short () gestational periods.
For more rabbit facts, click here!聽
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