The Jackalope Urban Legend or Undiscovered Cryptid?

Have you ever been hiking or driving and seen a rabbit that just seems too big to be any ordinary bunny? Did the thought ever cross your mind that perhaps this creature was a Jackalope? Today on Sass’s Crypto Corner we are going to attempt to decide if the Wyoming Cryptid the Jackalope is plausible or fantasy. So first let’s break down what a Jackalope is.

A Jackalope is believed to be a large rabbit that mated with a pygmy deer creating a large lagomorphic (fancy word for rabbit) that ways up to 5 pounds, has a full set of mini antlers, and can move upwards of 90 miles an hour.

Already off the bat, we can say that rabbits are real, and we have all seen tiny deer so check that off for the collum as plausible. But do animals mate outside of their species? According to a National Geographic Article (that right Nat Geo so you know it’s legit). Animals cross breading is rare but not impossible. Things like ligers, zorses, and pizzlies all occur naturally!

So let’s go ahead and chalk this up to plausible. Now let’s put ourselves in the mind of the Jackalope. You are a 5-pound freak of nature with the ability to outrun a cheetah. Where would you want to live? Perhaps where the deer and the antelope play? A place where seldom (def. not often; rarely.) is heard as a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day?

That’s right folks were talking about the front range! Of course, this is a perfect environment for a jackalope. We have all the wide open space you need. Plus you would be relatively high up on the food chain considering you’re fast and have giant horns. It’s more likely that a hungry bird would pick a fight with a pika than you.

So let’s recap and make a final decision. Is a jackalope made up of real animals? Yes! Do animals crossbreed in the wild? Yes! Is there such a wonderful place that perhaps a genetic freak rabbit would want to live? Yes, it’s called Wyoming!

So, in conclusion, the next time you see a gigantic rabbit dart across the trail proudly turn to your friends and say that’s a premature Jackalope! I know that because Josh Elsass told me!