pikas
Small talus dwellers
Pikas are small mammals related to rabbits, found in mountainous regions of Asia and North America.
They have rounded ears, no visible tail, and live among rocky slopes where they gather vegetation into haypiles for winter.
Their high-pitched alarm calls echo across alpine terrain: We heard pikas calling from the talus field.
Rabbit-like mammal order
Ankle's main bone
- rockpileAccumulated heap of stones
- boulder fieldArea covered with large rocks
- screeLoose rock debris
- alpine meadowHigh-altitude grassy clearing
mountain · elevation · tundra · burrow · den · territory · colony · refuge
Seeking wild food sources
- cachingTemporary local storage
- territorialDefensive about owned space
- alarm callScheduled rousing notification
- chirpShort, high avian sound
warning whistle · sunbathing · scurrying · grazing · harvesting · sentinel · diurnal · food storage
Covered in soft hair
- smallLimited in size
- taillessHaving no rear appendage
- whiskersFacial sensory hairs
- pelageMammal's fur collectively
compact · padded feet · camouflage · tiny · rodent-like · soft fur · beady eyes · chunky
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- keystone speciesOutsized ecological impact organism
- preyAnimal being hunted
- predator-preyEcological consumption relationship
ecosystem · food web · wildlife · conservation · endangered · population decline · biodiversity
lagomorph
Rabbit-like mammal order
talus
Ankle's main bone
- rockpileAccumulated heap of stones
- boulder fieldArea covered with large rocks
- screeLoose rock debris
alpine meadow · mountain · elevation · tundra · burrow · den · territory · colony · refuge · shelter
foraging
Seeking wild food sources
- cachingTemporary local storage
- territorialDefensive about owned space
- alarm callScheduled rousing notification
chirp · warning whistle · sunbathing · scurrying · grazing · harvesting · sentinel · diurnal · food storage · bark
furry
Covered in soft hair
pelage · compact · padded feet · camouflage · tiny · rodent-like · soft fur · beady eyes · chunky
climate change
Planetary atmospheric transformation
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- keystone speciesOutsized ecological impact organism
- preyAnimal being hunted
predator-prey · ecosystem · food web · wildlife · conservation · endangered · population decline · biodiversity
- plant-eatersherbivores, grazers, browsers, cows, horses
- small mammalsmouse, mice, rat, rats, hamster
- alpine zonesalpine meadow, alpine lakes, treeline, timberline, snowfields
- Rocky Mountain Wildernesswilderness areas, alpine meadow, backcountry, alpine lake, alpine lakes
- Colorado RockiesRocky Mountain National Park, continental divide, alpine tundra, mountain peaks, glacial lakes
- mammalsbears, bats, sheep, cats, anteater
pikasrodents
Gnawing mammal order
mice · rats · hamsters · guinea pigs · voles