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CEDAR CITY — High in the Tushar Mountains, with a stunning view of the lake and rolling hills below, wildlife technicians make their way to a talus field — a sloping mass of broken rocks.
Allie Chipman navigates the stony incline, eyes peeled. Danny Ostrander stays down below for now, observing the area, alternating between his camera and binoculars. Both technicians work for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Their heads snap in the same direction when they hear its characteristic squeaking — the attitudinal "eep! eep!" it's known for. As expected, American pikas live here.
The mammals are often mistaken for rodents with mouse-like ears and small, round bodies. Known colloquially as rock rabbits or whistling hares, the lagomorphs are more closely related to bunnies.
