Pika

Description:

This small brown-haired lagomorph is about 6" long, has relatively large rounded ears and no visible tail.

Habitat:

Generally found in high altitude scree slopes and boulder fields in mountains.

Notes:

One of my favorite animals to watch. They have a high-pitched "eeeek!" call which always attracts my attention. They gather grasses for winter consumption, as they remain active all winter under the heavy snowpack in their rocky fortresses. Amusing to watch as they gather the grass and cure it in piles before carrying it under the rocks. They also collect mountain avens and mix it into their haystack, even though they rarely eat it. It's thought that the phenols in the avens may help retard bacterial and fungal spoilage in the stored grasses.