jackalope

/ˈdʒækəˌloʊp/

Other forms: jackalopes

If you hope to catch sight of a jackalope on your vacation out West, you're sure to be disappointed. Jackalopes, hares with antelope horns, are mythical creatures.

Jackalopes play an important role in North American folklore, being part of a long tradition of tall tales centering on animals. The Herrick brothers started the jackalope myth in the 1930s by hunting jackrabbits, using their taxidermy skills to attach horns, and selling them to tourists in Wyoming and South Dakota. They were probably inspired by older folktales about horned rabbits, but they get credit for the portmanteau jackalope, from jackrabbit and antelope.

Definitions of jackalope

1. noun

   a mythical animal said to look like a rabbit with horns, originating from Northwestern American folklore