It just so happens to be Bavarian Style with metal Edelweiss Flowers on it. 
Your story gives me a whole new respect for it.
Posted on 01/01/2023 4:47:33 PM PST by SunkenCiv
On the small island of Minorca, a popular European tourist destination, researchers have unearthed an enormous fossil rabbit skeleton. A recent study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology highlights this new find off the coast of Spain. This massive rabbit, aptly named the Minorcan King of the Rabbits (Nuralagus rex), weighed in at 12 kg (26.4 lbs)! — approximately ten times the size of its extinct mainland cousin (Alilepus sp.) and six times the size of the living European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus...
The rabbit king lived approximately 3-5 million years ago and may be one of the oldest known cases of the "island rule" in mammals. Simply put, the island rule states that when on islands, big animals will get smaller and small animals will get bigger. This size change on islands may be due to reduced quantities of food or lack of mainland predators. On Minorca, Nuralagus rex lived with few other vertebrate species. Some of its neighbors included a bat (Rhinolophus cf. grivensis), a large dormouse (Muscardinus cyclopeus), and the above-mentioned giant tortoise (Cherirogaster gymnesica). In the case of N. rex, the lack of predators allowed this rabbit to reach a giant size...
Instead, this rabbit was most likely a digger, searching for roots and tubers to eat. Additionally, because of lack of predators to worry about, Nuralagus rex lost visual and hearing acuity. N. rex had reduced eye socket size and reduced auditory bullae, suggesting smaller eyes and ears. So although it might be assumed that this rabbit must have had huge ears, that would be wrong; N. rex had relatively diminutive ears for its size.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
That’s right. I saw it at the local drive in when it came out.
It just so happens to be Bavarian Style with metal Edelweiss Flowers on it. Your story gives me a whole new respect for it.
Story has it that a besotted young man would risk his life climbing the Alps to find one to give to his love-interest.
I think your pipe is Swiss, as is the Edelweiss the national flower of Switzerland...
Bavarian pipes are longer.
That is Edelweiss.
I feel sorry for the poor bastard.(grin)
My mother had one. My father was Bavarian. The Edelweiss didn’t grow anywhere near where he lived in the foothills of the Alps. That raises the question, who risked their life to bring her an edelweiss? She would never tell me.
There are some big fella domestic breeds, but not in the wild.
Imagine a 50 pound rabbit. Whew.
Such hoplessness. 😢
;^)
I once had a boyfriend with big ears like that.
My now deceased Kyudo Master Shibata XX, would use nick names for people because he had a hard time remembering and pronouncing English names.
Anyone with prominent ears that stick out he called : “toaster.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.