Its range extends from the Urals and the Putorana Plateau, through eastern and southern Siberia, including Sakhalin Island, to northern Mongolia, Manchuria, North Korea and Hokkaido.

They mostly move around using short jumps but can also walk and run, and can combine these means of locomotion while agilely climbing over rocks or scaling cliffs.

They can stand briefly on their hind legs while sparring or gathering food and can climb in an ungainly fashion in seedling conifers such as the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris).

[5] The northern pika is herbivorous and eats a variety of plant material such as grasses, twigs, needles, stems and leaves.

When feeding on stems and twigs, a sitting posture is adopted and gnawing starts low down and works upwards.

If alarmed while feeding, the pika may dash to its hole, sometimes carrying the food item in its mouth, or remain stationary and alert till the danger passes.

Northern pikas do not hibernate and can tunnel under the snow to reach their caches and visit areas where there are twigs and other plant material still available.

Apart from settling the fur and removing external parasites, these activities may serve to spread the secretions of the apocrine glands onto the paws for territory marking.

The approach of a predator or an observer too closely for comfort causes the animal to scurry away into its hole with a sharp warning cry "Kitz".