Johanna Varner Ph.D.

Johanna Varner Ph.D.

Studies mountain mammals called pikas, a potato-sized rabbit relative that lives in alpine rockslides.

Johanna Varner Ph.D.
Johanna Varner Ph.D.

Dr. Johanna Varner AKA Pika Jo! Not to be confused with our yellow electric friend Pikachu, pikas are mountain-dwelling mammals related to rabbits that are just as cute. And Johanna gets to study them! Her team has a study site where they backpack and camp near the pikas, then watch their behavior, like what they eat and how active they are. The team also collects samples to learn more about pikas and researches how climate change affects them in order to raise awareness about climate change.

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