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Collared pikas (Ochotona collaris) are very similar to the pikas found farther south (O. princeps). Pikas are unusual little lagomorphs -- rabbit relatives -- that live in high-altitude rockpiles. They are very territorial, bark loudly at intruders, and gather green vegetation into 'haystacks' that serve as a winter food source. Pikas rely on these stores instead of hibernating, as do many other small mammals in cold habitats. These were along the road over Polychrome Pass in Denali National Park, at Hatcher Pass, and in a treacherous (to my footing) talus slope on the Flattop Mountain trail near Anchorage (all in Alaska). Some of them are heavily into their annual molt cycle, which is why their fur appears a bit patchy. |
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