Royle's Pika

Ochotona roylei

Description:

This little lagomorph is chewing a plant root and another of its kind is sitting hidden under a rock to soak in some sunlight. They had built burrows all over the slope (in the last picture).

Habitat:

Dayara bugyal (bugyal means a high altitude meadow in local language). Dividing line between the central and the greater Himalayas.

Notes:

I went to this beautiful place perched at some 3050 mts above sea level in the lap of the Himalayas. The trek was tiring but worth the effort. Lovely grasslands stretched across the mountains covered with snow in patches. We camped there for a day with no other humans in a 10 km radius. The night sky was unforgettable with trillions of stars.

Species ID Suggestions

59 Comments (1–25)

Harsha Singh 9 years ago

Thanks, Gloria and armadeus.

armadeus.4 9 years ago

Wonderful spotting Harsha! Great pics. Thank you for sharing :)

Harsha Singh 11 years ago

Thank you, Matthijs.

Matthijs 11 years ago

Congrats Harsha ! Lovely!

Harsha Singh 11 years ago

Thanks, Diganta.

DigantaGogoi 11 years ago

wow congrats......!!!!!!

Harsha Singh 11 years ago

Thank you, LandmarkExpert.

Caleb Steindel 11 years ago

congrats, NGSOTW well deserved

Harsha Singh 11 years ago

Thanks a lot Victoria.

victoria.vikspics 11 years ago

congrats, such a little cutie! Beautiful series of images

Harsha Singh 11 years ago

Thank you. :)

Atul 11 years ago

Congrats Harsha !

Harsha Singh 11 years ago

Thanks Rieko. I didn't know the importance of this day. Prayers for your father. Thank you, Toshimi.

ToshimiDowaki 11 years ago

Great series! Congratulations!

RiekoS 11 years ago

Congratulations Harsha. My father also passed away on May 5th.
May 5th is a national holiday in Japan. It is "Children's Day" for boys.
So, I can always cerebrate this day for my father too.