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Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide by Susan Lumpkin & John Seidensticker Review: A Thorough, Curiosity-Driven Natural History
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2011, *Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide* is a question-and-answer natural history reference by wildlife conservationists Susan Lumpkin and John Seidensticker. Covering more than 90 species of rabbits, hares, and pikas — including several of the world's most endangered — the book ranges from the biology and behavior of lagomorphs to their complex relationship with humans, offering both accessible facts and genuinely surprising revelations for curious readers.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Curious general readers, naturalists, and engaged pet owners who want a scientifically grounded, wide-ranging introduction to lagomorph natural history — covering rabbits, hares, and pikas — rather than a pet-care manual or regional field guide.
Worth it if
You want an authoritative, accessible survey of more than 90 lagomorph species — including conservation concerns and counterintuitive natural history facts — organized in a clear Q&A format written by genuine wildlife conservationists.
Skip if
You need specialist depth on a single species or topic, primary research-level treatment of lagomorph biology, or a practical pet-care guide or regional field identification resource.
What readers & critics say
Science News recommended the book, noting it teaches "little-known facts about the familiar animals, whose 90 species include several of the world's most endangered." Retailer and library sources consistently highlight the authors' wildlife conservationist credentials and the book's range of surprising natural history findings, from once-daily nursing in baby rabbits to the historical use of rabbit pellets in medicinal tea.
Sources: Science News, ThriftBooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is and How It Is Structured
- Scope: 90-Plus Species, Including Rarely Discussed Relatives
- The Authors' Credentials and Scientific Authority
- The Range of Facts: From Mundane to Genuinely Surprising
- Who This Book Is For and Where It Has Limits
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Covers more than 90 species of rabbits, hares, and pikas — a taxonomic scope far wider than most popular treatments of the subject
- Written by wildlife conservationists Susan Lumpkin and John Seidensticker, grounding the content in genuine scientific expertise
- Recommended by Science News for its little-known facts about familiar animals
- The Q&A structure organizes content accessibly across distinct chapters — behavior, ecology, reproduction, human relationships, and more
- Includes conservation context for several of the world's most endangered lagomorph species
What Doesn't
- The broad, survey-style Q&A format is less suited to readers seeking specialist depth or primary research on a specific species or topic
- Readers looking for a practical pet-care or regional field-guide resource will find the book's general natural history scope a poor match for those specific needs
A reliable and wide-ranging natural history reference, Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide delivers on its promise to the curious naturalist by treating familiar animals with serious scientific depth.
What the Book Actually Is and How It Is Structured
Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: Q&A for the Curious Naturalist) by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker front cover
Part of Johns Hopkins University Press's Animal Answer Guides: Q&A for the Curious Naturalist series, this title organizes its content around questions that general readers and naturalists are most likely to ask. Chapters progress through distinct topics — introducing rabbits as a group, then moving into form and function, coloration, behavior, ecology, reproduction and development, foods and feeding, and the relationship between rabbits and humans — before addressing what the sources describe as "rabbit problems," a section dealing with the challenges these animals pose or face. The book also includes a plate section of photographs, bibliographical references, and an index, making it useful as both a browsable read and a reference to return to.
Scope: 90-Plus Species, Including Rarely Discussed Relatives
One of the book's clearest strengths is the breadth of its taxonomic scope. Most popular treatments of rabbits confine themselves to a handful of familiar species, but Lumpkin and Seidensticker cover more than 90 species of rabbits, hares, and pikas — the last being what the authors describe as rabbits' "little-known cousins." The book notes that new species are still being discovered, a detail that underscores the living, dynamic state of lagomorph research. Several of these 90-plus species rank among the world's most endangered, and the book's coverage extends to conservation concerns alongside natural history — a breadth that reflects the authors' professional backgrounds as wildlife conservationists.
The Authors' Credentials and Scientific Authority
Susan Lumpkin and John Seidensticker bring practitioner-level expertise to the subject. Both are identified as wildlife conservationists, and that grounding in field science gives the book its authoritative footing. The Q&A format is not merely a popular-press device; it channels genuine scientific knowledge into direct, answerable form. Science News recommended the book, noting that it teaches "little-known facts about the familiar animals." That endorsement from a science-focused outlet signals that the content holds up to scrutiny beyond casual nature writing.
The Range of Facts: From Mundane to Genuinely Surprising
The book's stated ambition — to cover everything "from the mundane to the unbelievable" — is borne out in the specific facts the publisher highlights. Baby rabbits nurse from their mothers only once a day. More than 90 species exist, with new ones still being formally described. Some cultures have historically brewed medicinal tea from rabbit pellets. These are not trivial curiosities used to pad a slim text; they are the kinds of counterintuitive findings that reframe what readers think they already know about a very familiar animal. The question-and-answer structure is well suited to delivering this kind of targeted, memorable information.
Who This Book Is For and Where It Has Limits
Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide is squarely aimed at the curious general reader, the naturalist, and the engaged pet owner who wants scientific depth rather than husbandry tips. Readers seeking a dedicated pet-care manual or a field identification guide to a specific region will find the book's broad, species-spanning scope less immediately practical for those purposes. Similarly, readers already working at an advanced academic level in lagomorph biology may find the Q&A format less suited to their needs than primary literature. The series format, by design, prioritizes accessibility and range over exhaustive treatment of any single topic — a trade-off that benefits most audiences but sets clear boundaries for specialists.
Frequently Asked Questions
is Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker worth reading for a rabbit owner
It depends on what you're after. The review describes it as ideal for "the curious general reader, the naturalist, and the engaged pet owner who wants scientific depth" — but if you're looking for husbandry tips or a pet-care manual, the book's broad, species-spanning natural history scope won't serve that need directly. If you want to understand rabbits as wild animals with serious biology behind them, it delivers well.
what is Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker actually about
It's a question-and-answer natural history reference covering more than 90 species of rabbits, hares, and pikas — including what authors Susan Lumpkin and John Seidensticker call rabbits' "little-known cousins." Topics range from biology, behavior, and ecology to reproduction, feeding, and the complex relationship between rabbits and humans, including conservation concerns for several of the world's most endangered lagomorph species.
does Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker have surprising or weird facts in it
Yes — the review specifically highlights some genuinely counterintuitive findings: baby rabbits nurse from their mothers only once a day, new species are still being formally described, and some cultures have historically brewed medicinal tea from rabbit pellets. The reviewer notes these aren't trivial curiosities but the kind of facts that "reframe what readers think they already know about a very familiar animal."
is Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker good for someone who already knows a lot about lagomorphs
Probably not the best fit. The review cautions that readers "already working at an advanced academic level in lagomorph biology may find the Q&A format less suited to their needs than primary literature." The series is designed to prioritize accessibility and range, so specialists would be better served by dedicated scientific sources.
should i read Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker or is it too basic
It's not a dumbed-down read — Science News recommended it for teaching "little-known facts about the familiar animals," signaling it holds up beyond casual nature writing. That said, it's purposefully accessible, so if you want exhaustive treatment of a single topic or primary research depth, the series format has limits the review is honest about.
who are the authors of Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker and are they qualified
Susan Lumpkin and John Seidensticker are both identified as wildlife conservationists, and the review says that "grounding in field science gives the book its authoritative footing." Their practitioner-level expertise is what elevates it above typical popular-press treatments of the subject.
is Rabbits: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: by Susan Lumpkin, John Seidensticker useful as a reference or is it just a one-time read
It works as both. The book includes a plate section of photographs, bibliographical references, and an index, which the review says makes it "useful as both a browsable read and a reference to return to." The Q&A structure also makes it easy to dip in and out of specific topics rather than reading cover to cover.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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- Further reading
- 3
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thriftbooks.com
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