Jackalope

Official artwork of a male Eastern North American jackalope

## Reference

**Jackalopes** are a cryptid that first appear in Chaos Choreography.

## Appendix Entry

**Jackalope** (*Parcervus antelope*). Essentially large jackrabbits with antelope antlers, the jackalope is a staple of the American West, and stuffed examples can be found in junk shops and kitschy restaurants all across the country. Most of the taxidermy is fake. Some, however, is not. The jackalope was once extremely common, and has been shot, stuffed, and harried to near-extinction. They're relatively harmless, and they taste great.

## Types of Jackalopes

* **African Jackalope**
* **Arctic Jackalope:** suspected to be extinct, or perhaps very good at hiding.
* **Eastern North American Jackalope** *(Parcervus antalope mythica)*
* **European Jackalope**
* At least four other subspecies, at least one of which is believed extinct, spannning all continents except for Australia.

## About

Jackalopes are perhaps the most often identified cryptid in North America, with many “fake” specimens actually being the real thing. They are sought-after game animals and have been hunted to endangerment.

Jackalopes are extremely similar to jackrabbits, except larger and with the addition of antlers. Males average thirty pounds and females average twenty-five. Both genders have large antlers. Coloration varies, with each species well suited for camoflauge in its native environment.

Their greatest danger is their own antlers, which will eventually grow so large that the jackalope’s speed is compromised and they are more likely to fall to hunters. Jackalope herds (called "husks") will slow down to accomodate their slowest members, thus endangering the entire group.

Reproduction consists of ritualized combat between the males of a herd. It is often deadly.

## In the Series

### Chaos Choreography

Verity Price spots a taxidermied baby jackalope in a Los Angeles flea market.

### Tailed

Verity encounters a jackalope and tailypo poacher in the woods of New York.

### The First Fall

While camping in the woods, Frances Healy kills two jackalope for dinner.

### What You Pay For

Young Alice Healy monitors a husk of jackalope to determine if they need to be culled.

## In Popular Culture

The **jackalope** is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word *jackalope* is a portmanteau of *jackrabbit* and *antelope*. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, are made with deer antlers. In the 1930s, Douglas Herrick and his brother, hunters with taxidermy skills, popularized the American jackalope by grafting deer antlers onto a jackrabbit carcass and selling the combination to a local hotel in Douglas, Wyoming. Thereafter, they made and sold many similar jackalopes to a retail outlet in South Dakota, and another taxidermist continues to manufacture the horned rabbits in the 21st century.

Horned hares have appeared in mythology and even scientific texts for centuries. There are theories that these early "discoveries" were actually of real jackrabbits who were afflicted with Shope papilloma virus, which causes horn-like carcinomas to grow from the animal's head and eventually impede its ability to eat. The first North American sighting was supposedly by a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Douglas, Wyoming has embraced the legend: It has a eight-foot jackalope statue in Jackalope Square, a fifteen-foot statue at the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center. The town slogan is "Home of the Jackalope: We Know Jack" and it hosts a Jackalope Days festival. Every year the Chamber of Commerce offers jackalope hunting licenses, good only on June 31.

Dubois, Wyoming is home to the largest jackalope exhibit at the Jackalope Travel Stop gas station/museum.

### Media/Literature

* In *A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying* by Kelley Armstrong, the protagonist has a pet jackalope.
	+ Incidentally, this book was written after Kelley Armstrong co-wrote the InCryptid short story Tailed, which also features jackalopes.

## References

1. ↑ Appendix Field Guide: Books 5-11
2. ↑ Jackalope
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Ocker, J.W. (2022). *The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters.* Philadelphia: Quirk Books. ISBN 978-1683693222
4. ↑ https://www.kelleyarmstrong.com/book/royal-guide-to-monster-slaying/