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The never-before-told story of the horned rabbit—the myths, the hoaxes, and the entirely real scientific breakthroughs it has inspired—and how it became a cultural touchstone of the American West.Just what is a jackalope? Purported to be part jackrabbit and part antelope, the jackalope began as a local joke concocted by two young brothers in a small Wyoming town during the Great Depression. Their creation quickly spread around the U.S., where it now regularly appears as innumerable forms of kitsch—wall mounts, postcards, keychains, coffee mugs, shot glasses, and so on. A vast body of folk narratives has carried the jackalope's fame around the world to inspire art, music, film, even erotica! Although the jackalope is an invention of the imagination, it is nevertheless connected to actual horned rabbits, which exist in nature and have for centuries been collected and studied by naturalists. Around the time the two young boys were creating the first jackalope in Wyoming, Dr. Richard Shope was making his first breakthrough about the cause of the horns: a virus. When the virus that causes rabbits to grow “horns” (a keratinous carcinoma) was first genetically sequenced in 1984, oncologists were able to use that genetic information to make remarkable, field-changing advances in the development of anti-viral cancer therapies. The most important of these is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects against cervical and other cancers. Today, jackalopes are literally helping us cure cancer. For fans of David Quammen's The Song of the Dodo, Jon Mooallem's Wild Ones, or Jeff Meldrum's Sasquatch, Michael P. Branch's remarkable On the Trail of the Jackalope is an entertaining and enlightening road trip through the heart of America.

Now in its fourth edition, Pathology of Laboratory Rodents and Rabbits has become a standard text for veterinary pathologists, laboratory animal veterinarians, students, and others interested in these species. • The standard reference on the pathogenesis and cardinal diagnostic features of diseases of mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and rabbits • Expanded coverage of rabbit disease, normal anatomic features, and biology • Over 450 color photographs illustrating gross and microscopic pathology • Companion website offering images from the text in PowerPoint

In both the UK and US rabbits are the third most popular mammalian pet after cats and dogs. This has led both to the expectation of high quality veterinary care and great improvements in the medical and surgical management of rabbits. Rabbit Medicine and Surgery: Self-Assessment Color Review covers a wide range of topics from basic biology and husb

Dentistry in Rabbits and Rodents is a practical guide aimed at helping clinicians successfully diagnose and treat dental problems in rabbits and rodents within their own surgeries. With over two-thirds of small mammals presenting with tooth related problems, there is great potential to enhance the treatment offered to the owners of these species. Focusing on innovative diagnostics using normal radiographic machines as well as specific positioning techniques, radiographs are presented with reference lines and detailed annotations. Richly illustrated with high quality photographs, pathological findings are described before selection of appropriate therapy and treatment is discussed. Key features include: Covers the dental anatomy and physiology of all small mammal species commonly kept as pets. Intraoral radiography and innovative positioning for imaging the guinea pig and chinchilla dentitions are described, enabling the practitioner to visualize each tooth in detail. Once a diagnosis has been reached, selection of different treatments and the advantages and disadvantages of each surgical technique are discussed. Offers helpful directives for approaching and treating dental disease without the need for referral to a specialist or the use of expensive equipment.

The management of wild rabbits is a vexing problem worldwide. In countries such as Australia and New Zealand, wild rabbits are regarded as serious pests to agriculture and the environment, while in many European countries they are considered an important hunting resource, and are a cornerstone species in Mediterranean ecosystems, modifying habitats and supporting important predator populations such as the Iberian lynx. The introduction of two viral diseases, myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease, as biological control agents in Australia has been met favourably, yet their spread in southern Europe threatens natural rabbit populations. Despite this, scientists with very different goals still work together with a common interest in understanding rabbit biology and epidemiology. Australia's War Against Rabbits uses rabbit haemorrhagic disease as an important case study in understanding how animal populations adapt to diseases, caused in this case by an RNA virus. Looking at rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) in an ecological framework enables insights into both virus and rabbit biology that are relevant for understanding other emerging diseases of importance to humans. This book provides up-to-date information on recent advances in areas ranging from virus structure and disease mechanics through to the sociological implications of using biological control agents and the benefits to the economy and biodiversity. It is a compelling read for wildlife disease researchers, wildlife managers, rabbit biologists, people working in the public health and education sectors, and landholders and farmers with experience or interest in RHD.

The Biology and Identification of the Coccidia (Apicomplexa) of Rabbits of the World is a taxonomic summation of a damaging intestinal parasite found in rabbits and transmissible to other species, including humans. This book conceptually and historically summarizes the world's literature on the parasite and also provides a quick guide to isolation procedures, identification, strategies for management, and available chemotherapy. It is a vital source of knowledge about coccidia's real and potential transmission to humans, which can lead to dangerous health problems, like severe dehydration, vomiting, lethargy and even death. Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease that affects several different animal species, including canines and humans, and is one of the most prevalent protozoal infections in North America. The causative agent is a protozoan that has the ability to multiply rapidly and cause major damage in the intestinal wall, rupturing the cells of the intestinal lining. The final stage, the oocyst, is extremely resistant to environmental stress and is difficult to completely remove from the environment. Oocysts are frequent contaminants of feed and water and when the sporulated oocysts are ingested by other animals, they start the life cycle over in the new host. With the demand for rabbits in scientific research and for rabbit meat for human consumption increasingly globally each year, rabbits are of epidemiologic significance for laboratory workers, university researchers, veterinarians, pet owners, and breeders. - Evaluates the scientific and scholarly merit of each of the publications written about coccidian from every rabbit species, providing a complete historical rendition - A treatise for the identification of coccidia and their treatment as needed - Written in a style that can be understood by most educated lay persons and laboratory workers - Written by the first ranked author team among the world-class parasitologists who study coccidia - Combined in one single source, this book follows the gold standards in coccidian biology and identification - Brings all that information together in one volume and solves the problems faced by researchers, veterinarians, students and others in trying to find and navigate through this scattered literature

The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit is a compendium of papers that discusses the use of the rabbit as an experimental substrate in the scientific process. The collection describes normative biology, research utilization, and rabbit disease. These papers emphasize naturally occurring diseases which affect the value of the rabbit as a research tool. Some papers describe these effects and their impact for investigators engaged in laboratory experimental work on animal medicine. Other papers tackle the value of certain rabbit diseases as models of considerable interest in comparative medicine. Several papers discuss bacterial diseases, viral diseases, protozoal diseases, arthropod parasites, helminth parasites, neoplastic diseases, inherited diseases, nutritional diseases, metabolic, traumatic, mycotic, and miscellaneous diseases of the rabbit. One paper describes a number of diseases that man can acquire from domestic and laboratory rabbits. These include tularemia (which is endemic in wild rabbits and hares), plague (transmitted by fleas), listeriosis (rare in laboratory rabbit colonies), salmonellosis (from rabbit feces), and Pasteurella multocida (common in laboratory and domestic rabbits). The paper notes that laboratory and domestic rabbits are not a major health hazard. The compendium can benefit veterinarians, the medically-oriented investigator, the biologist, the medical and chemical researcher, and others whose work involve laboratory animal care.

Harkness and Wagner's Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents, Fifth Edition is a practical reference in small mammal husbandry and health, encompassing the fields of laboratory animal medicine and pet practice. Part of ACLAM's series of laboratory animal books, this text offers concise but complete coverage on rabbits and the most common rodent species, with an emphasis on biology, clinical procedures, clinical signs, and diseases and conditions. By providing useful, accessible assessment and diagnostic information, Harkness and Wagner's Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents aids the practitioner in diagnosing and treating conditions in small mammals.

Pathology of Laboratory Rodents and Rabbits has become a standard text for both veterinary pathologists and veterinarians in laboratory animal medicine. Newly recognized infectious diseases continue to emerge and molecular methods for studying infectious agents are becoming widely used for the classification of these and previously known pathogens. With the ongoing development and perfection of genetic engineering techniques, the use of genetically engineered mice in the research laboratory continues to grow exponentially. This new edition features updates throughout with increased emphasis on timely topics such as infectious diseases in genetically engineered mice. Diseases covered include viral infections, bacterial infections, parasitic diseases, nutritional and metabolic disorders, behavioral disorders, aging and degenerative disorders, environment-related disease, and neoplasms. Organized by species, coverage includes mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and rabbits. Veterinary pathologists, laboratory animal veterinarians, and students will appreciate the concise organization and easily accessible information on key diagnostic features, differential diagnoses, and significance of diseases.

This book covers all aspects of rabbit medicine. Clinical cases cover areas such as anesthesia, biology and husbandry, handling and restraint, infectious diseases, dermatology, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, ophthalmology, urinary tract, oral cavity/esophagus, GI tract, metabolic disease, reproductive disease, musculoskeletal disease and dental problems. All of the contributing authors are experienced practitioners with many years of experience of dealing with rabbits.

After nearly 20 years, the publication of this Second Edition of The Biology of the Laboratory Rabbit attests to its popularity within the scientific community as well as to the need to update an expanding database on the rabbit as a major species in laboratory investigation. The principal aim of this text is to provide a comprehensive and authoritative source of scientifically based information on a major laboratory animal species. The text continues to emphasize the normal biology as well as diseases of the European (domestic) rabbit, Orytolagus cuniculus, especially the New Zealand White breed, with occasional reference to other rabbit species (Sylvilagus sp.) and hares (Lepus sp.). New topics have been added to this second edition in response to changing trends in biomedical research and product testing as well as to suggestions from readers.New chapters included on: - Anesthesia and analgesia - Models in infectious disease research - Models in ophthalmology and vision research - Polyclonal antibody production - Toxicity and safety testing - Drug doses and clinical reference data