Define hoping for rabbits?

[JetFalcon]

So I get tons of questions about my bunnies. Like what do I feed them, how long do they live, are they easy to take care of, etc etc.

But some kids or adults ask if they "hop" around. I don't really know what hoping is defined as for a bunny or why the term hop is highly associated with rabbits / bunnies. Because anytime the bunny moves, many kids will start associating it with hoping, even though technically they're just walking / running / moving around. Because if it's just simply moving forward at a slow speed, they're not airborn, they're just kicking off with their backfoot to make it seem like they're hoping.

Is it because of their back legs being so long and springy? I think the bunny is the only animal that has a back foot that is spring shaped and longer than its front foot. Dogs / cats, all 4 of their feet are about the same length. But rabbits, their backlegs are different compared to most mammals. In every cartoon, they always have their backlegs shaped like a spring with giant feet.

I think the only way a rabbit could move is pushing forward on their backlegs. I don't think they can lift them up to move one step like a dog or cat. So even if they have to just move a few steps, they guess their huge back feet make it impossible for them to just lift their foot to move forward, it's more like they push off their back foot to move one step forward. So it gives this illusion they are hoping.

But it's not in the same way like a kid tries to hop.

 

[Blue eyes]

I would say they hop because they have to push off of both back feet at the same time. Having both feet come off the ground at the same time is just how kids hop -- they push off of both feet at the same time.

Even if the rabbit is moving slowly forward, they are still hopping.. just not as high as they do while binkying. Kids can make little hops too. A rabbit's front paws don't always move together, but the back ones seem to always be in sync. I think that is why people see them as hopping.