Pikas and Other Lagomorphs

Please post your Pika, Rabbit and Hare photos here.

Since the Marmots have their own album I thought I was high time to create one for the Lagomorphs.

The Lagomorphs are an order of mammals consisting of two families:
Leporidae (hares and rabbits), and Ochotonidae (pikas).


Pikas are native to cold climates. They live in some of the most beautiful and rugged mountains of Asia, North America and parts of eastern Europe.
They are very vocal using both call and song vocalizations. The call is used to warn other pikas of a predator or an intruder and it sounds a little like the bleat of a goat.
They are active throughout the day gathering fresh grasses and flowers, which they lay in stacks to dry. When the stacks have dried out, Pikas move them into their burrows.
Since Pikas do not hibernate, it is that hay that keeps them fed and warm throughout the winter months.
Pikas mate about one month before the snow starts to melt. Mating season typically runs from late April to early July. The female gives birth to two to four babies in the spring. The babies are weaned in about three to four weeks. The babies will leave their mother after four weeks and are adult size in about three months.

Rabbits and Hares are very shy compared to the pikas. Rabbits live in groups and Hares live alone with the exception of the breeding season. Rabbits live in burrows and Hares live above groud concealing themselves in shallow depressions. Baby Rabbits are born naked and blind. Baby Hares are born fully furred with their eyes open and the ability to run around right away.
Both Rabbits and Hares feed on vegatation. They are active mostly at night, but can often be spotted early in the morning and at dusk.

External Links

All About Pikas

Colorado Division of Wildlife Article on American Pika

Distribution of American Pika in Canada

Images

View Pikas and Other Lagomorphs Image Gallery - 62 Images