Question

In 1850 there was a large snowshoe rabbit population in Manitoba, Canada. Over the years, the winter coloration (the color of the rabbit's fur) of the surviving rabbit population changed. The graph shows the change in winter coloration of rabbits between 1850 to 2000. Based on the data, we could hypothesize that

A) the winters are longer in length.

B) the snowshoe rabbit has migrated to another area.

C) the amount of snow cover varied over the years.

D) more snowshoe rabbit predators have moved into Manitoba.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C because I just had the same question and I had chosen C and it was correct.

Answer 2

C) the amount of snow cover varied over the years.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely answer is that the amount of snow cover varied over the years. In this example, the rabbits are white because of an adaptation. Having white fur allows them to better blend with their environment. However, if over the years, the coloration of the rabbits was mostly gray, this most likely means that their adaptation is no longer useful. It is likely that snow cover decreased, which meant that being white became a disadvantage.