宮尾直樹のJananese Beautiful Piece of Scenery

どこにいるかわかります？下のほう見てください。こんな場所にナキウサギは住んでいます。遠くは十勝平野です。

日本では北海道の道央・道東等に生息します。体重は60-150g。体長は10-20cm。夏毛は赤褐色で、冬毛は灰褐色から暗褐色になり、年に2回毛変わりします。耳長は2cm程度。5-7mmの尾があるが、短いため体毛に隠れてしまうので、ほとんど見えない。生息場所は森林近くの岩場に生息し、亀裂に存在する豊富なえさを得て暮らしています。絶滅の恐れがあることから、これらの生活環境の今後の研究が、ナキウサギの繁殖と保護につながることを期待したいです。
The number and habitat use of the Japanese pika (Ochotona hyperborea yesoensis) were surveyed in a habitat near the cool spots area where is in middle or east of Hokkaido. Body weight is 60-150g. Height is 10-20cm. In summer their bodies were coated by reddish brown in color, and in winter coated by dark brown in color. Their tails are too small to be observed.
The activities of adults in the slide rock area concentrated on parts near the edge of forest. This fact suggests that pikas can efficiently obtain both the crevices and food resources, which are indispensable to survive there. Pika was also acting in the surrounding forest where crevices exist under the forest. For the proper conservation of the pika's habitat, it is necessary to designate the area that should be reserved after careful investigations of crevice distribution around the slide rock area.