Researchers find the secret of the bunny hop: it's all in the genes

Scientists pinpoint gene necessary for animals to adopt a typical gait by studying breed of rabbit that can't hop

It sounds like a conundrum that Rudyard Kipling would have tackled in his Just So stories, but it turns out the reason why rabbits hop is rooted not in fables but genetics.

Researchers say that by studying an unusual breed of bunny that walks on its front paws, they have pinpointed a key gene that is necessary for animals to adopt a typical gait. For rabbits, as well as animals such as hares and kangaroos, that is the ability to hop.