Richard Whitekettle, «Rats are Like Snakes, and Hares are Like Goats: A Study in Israelite Land Animal Taxonomy», Vol. 82 (2001) 345-362

Israelite taxonomic thought drew a contrast between a land animal taxon referred to by the words Cr#$ or #&mr that contained animals such as rats and snakes (Land Animals I), and a land animal taxon referred to by the words hmhb or hyx that contained animals such as hares and goats (Land Animals II). This essay shows that the Land Animals I taxon was characterized by locomotory movement in the horizontal plane and the Land Animals II taxon was characterized by locomotory movement in the vertical plane. Thus, the contrast was between land animals that were perceived to move along the ground (Land Animals I) and land animals that were perceived to move over the ground (Land Animals II).

Compared to a camel and a horse, a hyrax, a hare, a rat, and a lizard all move very close to the ground. And yet, camels, horses, hyraxes, and hares were assigned to the Land Animals II taxon, while the rat and the lizard were assigned to the Land Animals I taxon.

        If being close to the ground were the identifying characteristic of the Land Animals I taxon, the segregation of hyraxes and hares from rats and lizards would be especially puzzling given the similarities in their postures. As is seen in the following drawings, the close-to-the-ground appearance and movement of the lizard (on the left) and the rat (on the right) are enhanced by their crouched posture¹³:

        The close-to-the-ground appearance of these flexed-limb animals, both of which are assigned to the Land Animals I taxon, correlates nicely with the close-to-the-ground appearance of other animals assigned to the Land Animals I taxon, such as snails and snakes. As seen in the following drawings, such a close-to-the-ground appearance contrasts sharply with the distant-to-the-ground appearance of the various extended-limb animals assigned to the Land Animals II taxon, such as the horse (on the left) and the camel (on the right)¹⁴: