American Pika
Ochotona princeps
Summary 3
The American pika (Ochotona princeps), is typically a brown color. Fur color ranges during the seasons from gray to cinnamon-brown, with a rusty-brown color dominant during summer months. Underfur is usually slate or lead colored. They are herbivorous. They have a small, round, and ovulate body. Body length ranges from 162 to 216 mm (6 - 8 in). Ears are moderately large.
Hind legs are not much longer than their front legs. Soles of the feet are densely furred, with exception to black pads near the ends of the toes. Paws range from 25 to 35 mm (1 - 1.5 in). Back paws are digitigrade and have four toes, as compared to five toes on the front paws.
The American pika creates two types of fecal droppings: a hard brown round pellet and a short shiny string of material referred to as a caecal pellet. Scat is 2-3 mm in diameter, roughly the size of peppercorns.
Location 4
The American pika (Ochotona princeps), a diurnal species of pika, is found in the mountains of western North America, usually in boulder fields at or above the tree line.
The American pika can be found throughout the mountains of western North America, from central British Columbia in Canada to the US states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California and New Mexico.
The American pika can be found in Iron County, Utah.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Daniele Colombo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/14750134@N02/4935076505
- (c) Brandon Wilburn, all rights reserved, uploaded by Brandon Wilburn
- Adapted by Brandon Wilburn from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochotona_princeps
- (c) Brandon Wilburn, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
