
Photo: (c) Dmitry Kulakov, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0
Ochotona hyperborea
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Diet
Herbs, grasses, leaves, and twigs
Habitat
Rocky taiga and mountain slopes
Range
Northern Asia, including Mongolia
The northern or Siberian pika is a small tailless lagomorph with a rounded body, short legs, and rounded ears. Coat tone changes seasonally and geographically, usually appearing brownish in summer and greyer in winter. Its form is suited to moving through rock crevices rather than sustained running. Separation from alpine and Pallas's pikas should use locality, calls, and specialist identification characters. (Wikipedia, general species account)
The species ranges across northern Asia and reaches Mongolia, occupying rocky taiga, mountain slopes, and boulder fields. It feeds on herbs, grasses, leaves, and twigs and stores cut vegetation as hay for winter use. Individuals remain near shelter and use vocal calls to signal. The opened account supplied no dependable Mongolia-specific breeding or litter-size values or named public viewing location. (Wikipedia, general species account; Mammal Diversity Database)