Rabbits, Hares, and Pikas: 



Order Lagormorpha 



Desert cottontails are found in eastern 

 and southwestern Montana, mountain cot- 

 tontails in brushy valleys. The jackrabbit, 

 which is really a hare rather than a rabbit, 

 lives in open country, relying on its ability 

 to outdistance almost any of its predators, 

 instead of taking to its burrow. One va- 

 riety, the black-tailed jackrabbit, has now 

 moved into southwestern Montana. The 

 white-tailed jackrabbit lives in the higher 

 elevations. It turns from its summer gray 

 to almost white in winter. Large feet and 

 powerful hind legs give it the ability to run 

 at speeds of over 30 miles an hour. The 

 snowshoe hare lives in forested country 

 and has broad feet adapted for deep snow. 



Although the little pika, or coney, is 

 usually thought of as an alpine animal, its 

 range includes altitudes of under 3,000 

 feet. It seldom goes far from the protection 

 of the talus slopes where it has a den. The 

 pika does not hibernate, but this small 

 creature has solved the problem of year- 

 round food. It gathers grass, leaves, and 

 flowers, then piles them to dry in the sun. 

 Later this harvest is stored in the den. 



Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks 



Animals that change coat color in 

 fall shed one color in a few weeks' 

 time, and the new winter coat grows 

 back in another color, changing, for 

 instance, from brown to white. 

 Length of the nights, not tempera- 

 ture, is what determines the timing 

 of color change. 



Snowshoe Hare 



Weasels: Family Mustelidae 



These extremely active meat eaters re- 

 quire a great amount of food for their size, 

 and spend most of their time hunting. They 

 are nocturnal, and therefore are seldom 

 seen in the daylight hours. The black- 

 footed ferret, an endangered species, is a 

 member of this family. 



Among other members of the weasel 

 family are mink, marten (or sable), fisher, 

 otter, skunk, wolverine, and badger. Their 

 fur is valued by trappers, but the rare 

 fisher is a protected species. It is a forest 

 dweller, as are martens, mink, short-tailed 

 weasels, and wolverines. The pine marten 

 is adept at climbing trees, but tree squir- 

 rels represent only about 10 percent of its 

 diet, which also includes mice, voles, and 

 pikas, with berries in season. The marten 

 lives in dense coniferous forests. The 

 fisher, a larger relative, was extinct in 

 Montana, but was transplanted from Cana- 

 dian stock, and apparently is making a 

 comeback. It captures grouse, squirrels, 

 rabbits, and even the sharp-quilled porcu- 

 pine. 



Wherever there is a waterway, mink can 

 make a home, whether in forests, 

 grasslands, or brushy areas. Living in bur- 

 rows in river or stream banks, this slender 

 agile carnivore eats smaller animals, fish, 

 and crayfish. 



The striped skunk lives along willowed 

 waterways, and in fields and rangeland; its 

 spotted relative has a limited range in 

 Montana's extreme southwestern corner. 

 Badgers range throughout the state; these 

 strong, long-clawed burrowers hunt out 

 other smaller ground animals from their 

 dens or rocky lairs. The long-tailed prairie 

 weasel also lives and hunts in the 

 grasslands, forests, and open mountain 

 meadows. 



Called by the Indians "carcajou the devil- 

 bear," the wolverine had no friends among 



