Stats

Lifespan

3-7 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Herbivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Alpine tundra

Range

North America

Movement

Hopping

Breeding

Live Birth

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Uncommon

About

A small, egg-shaped relative of rabbits that lives in rocky mountain talus slopes and doesn't hibernate, instead spending summer gathering 'haypiles' of dried vegetation to survive the winter under the snow.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   newborn kit

   A blind, nearly hairless kit nurses briefly each day and stays hidden in the burrow or form.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A weaned juvenile is fully furred and venturing out to graze, still small and easily startled.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown and able to breed.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →
• Watch on YouTube →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Lagomorpha

Family

Ochotonidae

Genus

Ochotona

Species

Ochotona princeps