longer legs and ears. Rabbits that live in the American desert have
huge ears. They help the rabbits to cool off in the heat of the
desert."
Ali nodded: "Everyone knows the story of you and the tortoise.
You're a fast runner, aren't you?"
"Yes," nodded the rabbit. "My back legs are longer and more
powerful than my front ones. So I can run between 40 and 45 miles
an hour (60 km/h and 70 km/h) and sometimes leap 20 feet (6
meters) in a single jump."
"So, how do you find your underground home, and when
you're not there, does another rabbit move in?" Ali wondered.
"Some animals mark their houses with a scent," his new friend
explained. "For example, gazelles leave behind a substance se-
creted from a gland under their eyes. The scent from this substance
marks the territory in which they live. We have glands in
our jaws and we mark our homes with the scent from
them. So another rabbit doesn't move in and we can
56
In the heavens and Earth there are
certainly Signs for the believers. And
in your creation and all the creatures
He has spread about there are
Signs for people with certainty.
(Surat al-Jathiyya: 3-4)
