91Èȱ¬

Say hello to the sauteur d'Alfort, also known as the Alfort jumping rabbit.

This particular breed is very distinct as, unlike most rabbits, these bunnies walk on their front legs because they are unable to do two-footed-hops.

And scientists have now discovered the reason why... it's all down to one single gene.

Genes are passed from parents to their children and contain the information needed to specify certain traits - like this rabbit's ability to handstand!

Leif Andersson at Uppsala University in Sweden and his colleagues at the University of Porto in Portugal studied the Alfort jumping rabbit and investigated jumping-related genes.

They found that mutations in a certain gene affected the rabbits' spinal cords, which prevents them from coordinating their limbs into performing a hop.

"When they walk slowly, you can't distinguish them from a normal rabbit," says Miguel Carneiro at the University of Porto in Portugal.

But when they try to go faster by jumping, they flex their back legs too much and at the wrong time.

The researchers believe the gene is found in other species, such as the kangaroo, and gives them the ability to leap and jump.

The team bred Alfort jumping rabbits with another rabbit breed and looked at their children's genes and jumping abilities.

They discovered that the ability to hop came down to the RORB gene. "This was the only mutation that stood out as really striking," says Andersson.

The RORB gene is found in the rabbit's nervous system. It helps pass information and links the left and right side of the body - which is essential for coordinating limb movements.

If the new-born Alfort rabbits had a mutation of this gene then they wouldn't be able to jump and would walk on their front paws instead.

The team say that the study "advances our understanding of the different ways that animals with backbones move."

What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments below.