Only after World War II did the secret spill: Ōkunoshima, located in the Inland Sea of Japan between Hiroshima and Shikoku, was the top-secret site for manufacturing chemical warfare. When the factories were closed down, a number of exotic wild rabbits were seen freely roaming the island. They were assumed to have been the test subjects for the chemical weapons, which the military failed to eradicate when the factory was demolished.

The Grand National springs to mind as the yearly highlight of the “sport of kings” – thoroughbred steeds and their brave jockeys triumphing (or failing) over gruelling courses and high-fenced adversity. And now steeplechase enthusiasts can add another event to the annuls of great sporting occasions, namely the Stuttgart rabbit show jumping. Here: Rabbit showjumping at an animal fair in Stuttgart, Germany, on November 16, 2014. (Photo by Action Press/Rex Features)

A rabbit jumps over a hurdle at an obstacle course during the first European rabbit hopping championships, which Lada Sipova-Krecova of Czech Republic won, on October 30, 2011 in Wollerau, Switzerland. Rabbit hopping is a growing trend among rabbit owners in Central Europe. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)

A rabbit fails to clear an obstacle during a bunny hop competition at the Old Town Square in Prague, Czech Republic, Monday, April 14, 2014. (Photo by Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

A giant hedgehog statue is spotted in London's Clapham Common after a survey reveals many Brits have never seen one in the wild. Naturalist Sir David Attenborough hopes to educate the masses about such creatures on his new show.

Five year old Michael Esteban and his mother Kari Esteban, crawl through a 40-foot long, 4-foot high replica of a human colon on July 11, 2003 in Seattle. The colon is used to educate people on colorectal cancer. (Photo by Ron Wurzer/Getty Images)

Igor Armicach, a doctoral student at Hebrew University's Arachnid Collection, looks onto giant spider webs, spun by long-jawed spiders (Tetragnatha), covering sections of the vegetation along the Soreq creek bank, near Jerusalem, Israel on November 7, 2017. (Photo by Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

The Malabar Giant squirrel – double the size of their grey relatives and measuring up to 36 inches (91.5 cm) from head to tail – lives deep in the forests of India. The athletic animals can leap an incredible 20 feet (6 m) between trees. Photographer Kaushik Vijayan, 39, snapped the animals in their native habit to produce these stunning images. Kaushik, from Kerala State, India, said: “Up until that point I had never heard about a squirrel like that or seen one. The sight was an absolute feast for my eyes. The squirrels fascinated me and I got excited to capture this beauty on my camera”. (Photo by Kaushik Vijayan/South West News Service)