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Scientific Name: Ochotona
A guinea-pig-sized relative of the rabbit, Pikas inhabit mountain ranges of the western U.S. and endure some of the nastiest weather in the lower 48 states. |
Pikas have a piping call and are often seen on talus slopes foraging for food and scampering around. They have a very high metabolism, most likely an adaptation to the cold of their high elevation home. But this works against the little critter in warm weather, when it's vulnerable to overheating. However, its large ears help to dissipate the heat. Because they are so well adapted to the cold, they are virtually prisoners of their environment, unable to live at  lower, warmer elevations.
American Pikas are solitary creatures that jealously guard their territory, coming together only to mate. Females usually raise two litters per year, and the young are weaned and out of the nest within four weeks.
Pikas live in crevices and tunnels in the talus, which protects them from predators like weasels and bears, and, under an insulating layer of deep snow, traps enough heat to keep pikas alive. A winter with too little snow can prove deadly to pikas.
Because they don't hibernate, pikas spend much of the summer collecting food for the winter. They leave hay piles, caches of grass gathered from nearby meadows, to dry in the sun before dragging them inside their tunnels for storage. |
