Monster Monday: Jackalope, the Horned Rabbit of the West

Wikimedia

Unlucky Jackalope - Spica, Kansas

Today's Monster Monday is the jackalope - that classic mythological critter of the American West - a jackrabbit with the antlers of a pronghorn antelope.  I felt I would be remiss not to offer the jackalope as an option for wizard familiars in my wild west Guns of the Western Kings setting.

Jackalopes are a classic example of rogue taxidermy, a term used to describe the piecing together of animal parts from different animals to create a fictional, chimerical creature.  I had always assumed - somewhat romantically - that the jackalope arose out of tall tales told around campfires out on the trail, and that the taxidermied jackalopes had grown out of these tales.  As it turns out, the jackalope was invented in 1932 by a boy named Douglas Herrick of (coincidentally) Douglas, Wyoming, who was learning taxidermy by mail-order.  He sold his piece of rogue taxidermy to a local hotelier, who displayed it as a tourist attraction.  Stories of jackalopes took off from there.  While it may not be a piece of true mythology, the jackalope certainly has an important place in constructed folklore, similar to the wild haggis in Scotland or drop bears in Australia.

Although jackalopes are a modern invention, they follow in a long line of similar feats of rogue taxidermy and actual belief in what was called the lepus cornutus, or horned rabbit.  In 1933, one year after the creation of the first known jackalope, American virologist Richard Shope discovered Shope papilloma virus (or Kappapapillomavirus 2) which causes keratinous, hornlike growths on rabbits in the wild.  This may be the origin of early mythological expressions of of the lepus cornutus, like the Arabian al-mi'raj, a rabbit with a unicorn horn.  Almiraj has existed as a monster in Dungeons & Dragons since the original Fiend Folio published in 1981, and was added to Pathfinder in Bestiary 4.  As medieval bestiaries gave way to naturalist studies in the Early Modern period, the lepus cornutus made the transition as well, probably buoyed by sightings of rabbits with Shope papilloma virus.

Wikimedia

lepus cornutus (center) in Animalia Qvadrvpedia et Reptilia (Terra),
painted in the late 16th century

The horned rabbit continued to appear in scientific works into the early 19th century, probably last given credence in the 1817 Nouveau dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle, which considers the creature to be possibly real but very rare.  This may have also encouraged another example of rogue taxidermy, the wolpertinger, a horned and winged rabbit, often with other animal bits added for good measure.  The wolpertinger serves a similar role in Alpine Bavaria as the Jackalope in the American West - as a local curiosity displayed in hotels and pubs and a focal point for tall tales told to tourists.  The wolpertinger entered Pathfinder in Adventure Path #61: Shards of Sin, along with a similar flying Swedish rabbit called a skvader.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.
This small creature appears to be a rabbit with the antlers of a pronghorn

Jackalope    CR 1/4

XP 100

N Tiny animal

Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)

hp 4 (1d8)

Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +1

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft.

Melee gore -1 (1d3-3), bite -1 (1d3-3)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks leaping strike

STATISTICS

Str 4, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 7

Base Atk +0; CMB +1; CMD 7 (11 vs. trip)

Feats Run

Skills Acrobatics +3 (+11 when jumping), Perception +5, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics when jumping

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Familiar

The master of a jackalope familiar gains a +4 bonus on Acrobatics checks when jumping.

Leaping Strike (Ex)

The jackalope can make a single leap to attack a creature with its gore attack.  This is a full-round action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.  The jackalope ends its movement in the opponent’s square.  

ECOLOGY

Environment plains

Organization solitary, pair, or down (3-16)

Treasure none

The jackalope is an unusual species of rabbit known for the fact that it grows a pair of antlers reminiscent of a pronghorn antelope’s on its head.  Like other rabbits, jackalopes are burrowing, social mammals with strong hind legs that let them quickly leap and run from danger.  When cornered, or when defending their burrow, jackalopes use their horns in defense, leaping antler-first at their enemies in the hopes of driving them off.  Both male and female jackalopes grow antlers, although male jackalopes tend to have antlers 50-75% larger than females'.  During jackalope mating season, male jackalopes can be seen leaping at each other and colliding mid-air as part of their competition to attract mates and drive off rivals.

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-your keratinous d20 despot