TIL the large-eared pika makes "haypiles" in their burrows to see them through the winter
TIL the large-eared pika makes "haypiles" in their burrows to see them through the winter
And, of course, they are super cute!
Hey wtf Wikipedia?
Some populations make "haypiles" of dried grasses in their burrows to help see them through the winter when fresh greenery is scarce.
But then...
The large-eared pika does not make a burrow but lives in crevices among the shattered rock and scree found in mountainous regions.
BURROWS OR NO BURROWS???
I wondered that myself and assumed they were, in a very roundabout fashion, referring to whatever they called a domicile AS a burrow. It's pretty thin, though. Good catch!
They don't make the burrows, what they use as burrows are naturally occurring. Picture the boulder piles at the the base of mountains. There are tons of rodent sized gaps and cracks between the rocks.
Yes.