Pika: Little Rock Rabbit of High Mountains
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What Is A Pika?
Do you know:
* What a pika is?
* Where are pikas found?
* How does a pika sound?
This page answers these questions about pikas and more.
* What does a pika eat?
* What predators eat pikas?
* How big is a pika?
* How long does a pika live?
A pika is a small mountain mammal about the size of your hand. Pikas live in tundra or near tree line in high mountains. Even if you go to the high mountain tundra, you must have quick eyes and good ears to find pikas as they are shy and well camouflaged. But if you listen for the noise a pika makes, you may hear one.
The pika is an interesting mammal species that makes a good topic for a nature study in biology, but that's not primarily why I'm interested. I've studied pikas for years because they are adorable.
Image is public domain courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) by Lynn Chamberlain. Pika in Utah
* What a pika is?
* Where are pikas found?
* How does a pika sound?
This page answers these questions about pikas and more.
* What does a pika eat?
* What predators eat pikas?
* How big is a pika?
* How long does a pika live?
A pika is a small mountain mammal about the size of your hand. Pikas live in tundra or near tree line in high mountains. Even if you go to the high mountain tundra, you must have quick eyes and good ears to find pikas as they are shy and well camouflaged. But if you listen for the noise a pika makes, you may hear one.
The pika is an interesting mammal species that makes a good topic for a nature study in biology, but that's not primarily why I'm interested. I've studied pikas for years because they are adorable.
Image is public domain courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) by Lynn Chamberlain. Pika in Utah
Pikas Live in High Mountains
Where does a pika live? Pikas live at high altitudes, near or above timberline, in high mountains. They often live in tundra areas. Pikas live under rocks or boulders. They are most likely to be found on rocky slopes also called or boulder fields. A pika makes its home under a rock and stores food under rocks, too.
This photo is Emerald Lake in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park in the western United States. To reach this lake, you must hike in. Rock slopes around the lake are a good place to look for pikas. Osprey, large birds of prey, are also seen here.
Photo © E. Friedman 2011, all rights reserved.
In Which Mountains Are Pikas Found?
Unlike the familiar marmots of these areas, pikas are NOT found in the European Alps of western Europe. Pikas need a cold climate to survive, and they live on mountain tops, often near tundra. Pikas cannot easily change locations to a cooler place.
And sadly, if global warming continues, pikas may not be found anyplace.
This range map is a screen shot of the excellent free resource for natural history of mammals of North America from the Smithsonian Institution in the U.S.
This is the range map for American Pika. This map shows where this species of pika is found. A different species, collared pika, is found in Alaska.
Here is a link to the Smithsonian mammals site:
Species Search Mammals of North America - Smithsonian
Pika: Little Mammal in the Rocks
How could you not want to study an animal with a face like this? The pika is a very charming little animal. Some people think a pika looks like a cross between a mouse and a squirrel. Others think a pika looks like a cross between a mouse and a rabbit. Look closely at the shape of the face of this American pika photographed in Utah. What does the face tell you about this animal?
The nose is curved not pointy.... so it is not a mouse or chipmunk.
The ears are rounded and somewhat dark inside, not extremely long... so it is not a rabbit (although it is related!)
There are no stripes on the face... so it is not a chipmunk.
There is no white eye ring... so it is not a golden mantled ground squirrel.
There are no protruding teeth.... so it is not a shrew.
There are no antlers .... so it is not a moose. :-)
Pikas Are Related to Rabbits
Is a pika a rodent? The answer is, No! You may often find errors in which people mistakenly call a pika a rodent or a mouse. Mice, rats and squirrels are rodents; a pika is not a rodent.
What are pikas? Pikas are Lagomorphs, which means that pikas are closely related to rabbits. That is one reason another common name for pika is rock rabbit.
Photo is a Cottontail Rabbit, public domain image taken by Scott Root, Utah Division of Wildlife Services. This cottontail rabbit is related to a pika at the taxonomic level known as Order. In this case, rabbit species and pika species both belong to the Order Lagomorpha.
Scientific Name of Pika
The pikas I have seen are all in western United States, but not including Alaska. Thus the common name of the pikas I have seen is American pika. The scientific name for this species is Ochotona princeps which roughly means "The Prince of Pikas". Ochontona is the Genus.
The pikas found in Alaska, known commonly as collared pikas, have the scientific name Ochotona collaris.
There is an excellent free online tool you can use to see the taxonomic relationships of mammals in North America. It is provided by the U.S. Smithsonian Institution's American Museum of Natural History. All you have to do is to type in the common name of the mammal you are interested in and do a search: the online tool will provide you with the scientific name and relationships.
Here is a screen shot from the Smithsonian site. Try it out at this link:
Smithsonian's North American Mammals.
What Do Pikas Eat?
They leave the flowers and grass to dry in a cache under a rock. This cache of food is critical for survival because unlike other small animals of the mountains, pikas do not hibernate. They need a large food supply to live through the winter snows when fresh food is unavailable.
Who Eats Pikas?
How Long Does a Pika Live?
The life span of a pika depends, of course, on its location and its luck - many die young, a few live out a full life span. For the North American Pika (Ochotona princeps) the longest one can live is about 6-7 years. The average life span of the pika is 3 years. Seasons: What Are Pikas Doing NOW?
For pikas, early autumn is a time for saying good-bye (hopefully a temporary good-bye) to sunny days in the open and getting ready to spend time sheltered by rocks and later snow.
Tiny Tail on a Pika
The pika's tail is certainly NOT a long tail like a mouse, chipmunk, ground squirrel or tree squirrel.
Pikas are Small and Hard to See
How much do pikas weigh? The American pika weighs around 120 - 175 gm or 4.2 - 6.2 oz.
One photographer described the babies as being about the size of ping pong balls. Wouldn't you love to see a baby one?
Pikas are hard to see in their rocky or tundra home environment for several reasons:
* Pikas are small
* Pikas are the color of the rocks where they live. In other words, they have a biological adaptation of camouflage
* Pikas are wary and usually do not approach people. They dive under a rock if they fear a person or predator.
references: personal observation by author plus Smithsonian American Museum of Natural History North American Mammals.
Image pika in Colorado, © E. Friedman 2011, all rights reserved
Your Experience with Pikas
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Life on the Tundra
Life at high altitudes in the mountains of North America and Eurasia is difficult. Above timber line (also called tree line) is a harsh but beautiful dry close-growing meadowland known as tundra. Pikas are found in alpine tundra as well as at the higher elevations of mountain forests.Tundra is a harsh environment of extremes of cold, wind, exposure to UV (ultraviolet rays) and a short growing season. Pikas are most active during the time that the flowers bloom and short grasses grow in the tundra, in late spring and summer.
Photo is an alpine tundra flower blooming near Trail Ridge Road in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park in the western United States. © E. Friedman 2011, all rights reserved.
Pikas Threatened by Global Warming
The Earth is undergoing substantial climate change, with an overall trend toward global warming. In short term, that means a lot of flux in local weather conditions - some areas experience colder than usual patterns, others much warmer. Some areas have unusually high amounts of water and flooding, others have become very dry.
But climate is a longer scale process than day to day weather. Over longer periods of time, the Earth is warming up. This global warming has some potentially dangerous results. For one, the large ice sheets in places like Greenland and Antarctica are melting. This melting of huge reserves of water eventually result in a rise in ocean level, which in turn brings about many types of change.
Global warming is also affecting biological systems and, sadly, the world populations of pikas are examples of adverse affects of global warming. One connection may be that in areas of warmer summers and less snow accumulation, the pikas' hay piles undergo a larger range of temperatures. For example, the snow provides an insulating layer in winter, and with less snow, the hay piles get much colder. Changes in climate also affect which plants grow successfully in an area. An alteration in the mix of wildflowers vs grasses affects pika survival.
This link takes you to a scholarly article on climate change and pikas from 2006.
Pika Project
Recent reports from the National Wildlife Federation claim that pikas have disappeared from 1/3 of their habitats in Oregon and Nevada
Pikas in Trouble
But climate is a longer scale process than day to day weather. Over longer periods of time, the Earth is warming up. This global warming has some potentially dangerous results. For one, the large ice sheets in places like Greenland and Antarctica are melting. This melting of huge reserves of water eventually result in a rise in ocean level, which in turn brings about many types of change.
Global warming is also affecting biological systems and, sadly, the world populations of pikas are examples of adverse affects of global warming. One connection may be that in areas of warmer summers and less snow accumulation, the pikas' hay piles undergo a larger range of temperatures. For example, the snow provides an insulating layer in winter, and with less snow, the hay piles get much colder. Changes in climate also affect which plants grow successfully in an area. An alteration in the mix of wildflowers vs grasses affects pika survival.
This link takes you to a scholarly article on climate change and pikas from 2006.
Pika Project
Recent reports from the National Wildlife Federation claim that pikas have disappeared from 1/3 of their habitats in Oregon and Nevada
Pikas in Trouble
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How Do Pikas Sound?
I've said that it is easier to find a pika by sound than by sight, especially at first. So you may wonder,What sound does a pika make?
This little animal doesn't say much, but when a pika does make a sound, it makes a surprisingly loud noise for such a little animal. When you are near its boulder-field home, listen for one or two sharp, loud squeaks, almost like the sound of a squeak toy. It's announcing to the world that this is its territory.
If you hear a lot of these squeaks, you know this little animal is in trouble. Likely there is a bird of prey or a weasel nearby. The pika may issue a quick squeak-squeak warning and then dive under a rock for cover.
To hear a sample pika sound, use this recording from the Nature Songs website recorded by Doug Von Gausig in 1997 and made available by creative commons license 3.0.
CLICK HERE:
PIKA SQUEAK LINK
Remember to use your back button to return to this pika page and see the rest of what it has to offer.
Useful Tools for Nature Study
The most important tools for nature study are:
* willingness to go outdoors to interesting places
* quick eyes and ears to pay attention to what is around you.
* a notebook to record your observations.
But also very helpful are some tools you can buy:
* a great field guide for the area you will visit
* a pair of binoculars
*
* willingness to go outdoors to interesting places
* quick eyes and ears to pay attention to what is around you.
* a notebook to record your observations.
But also very helpful are some tools you can buy:
* a great field guide for the area you will visit
* a pair of binoculars
*
Follow-up: Skeptic Says He was Wrong in Doubting Global Warming
Pikas are threatened by climate change because they cannot survive sustain warmer temperatures where they live, and they cannot move to new locations. Climate change and global warming are well documented scientifically.
Scientist admits he was wrong -- This report is from a leading scientist who was a skeptic and questioned the initial reports of climate change -- but he did good science: he kept an open mind and investigated further. Then he announced that he was wrong. The results of his investigation support the observations of climate change and global warming. Read the announcement here.
Scientist admits he was wrong -- This report is from a leading scientist who was a skeptic and questioned the initial reports of climate change -- but he did good science: he kept an open mind and investigated further. Then he announced that he was wrong. The results of his investigation support the observations of climate change and global warming. Read the announcement here.
- Wrong to Doubt Global Warming
- Skeptic admits he was wrong to doubt global warming and climate change - his own new study supports the reports by climate scientists.
- Economist Reports: Earth Warming
- Another report on this new work that covers a broader explanation is at this link in the British magazine "The Economist"
Comments and questions welcome from all visitors to this page.
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Savethemodels
May 15, 2012 @ 11:50 am | delete
- I already knew about pikas but I think that we should do something like using less aerosol products so it can help them have a less possibility of becoming extinct. I know that if we spread this message, everyone would be doing this and can help. We can make a difference!!!!!!
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Upon-Request
Mar 9, 2012 @ 9:22 am | delete
- I haven't seen a pika in many years but they are so cute. Great lens
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cajkovska
Mar 2, 2012 @ 12:53 pm | delete
- Nice lens. I hope to see Pika in wild too!
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WriterJanis
Feb 26, 2012 @ 4:39 am | delete
- Would love to see one of these adorable animals. Blessed!
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poddys
Feb 10, 2012 @ 2:25 pm | delete
- This small animals look so cute, thanks for the great information about them. Nicely done, blessed.
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Education
This information about pikas and their habitat is for general education and enjoyment as a resource for teachers in classroom settings and in homeschooling. It is also a resource for parents to help their children learn.This material can be used as part of a nature study, basic biology (mammals, predator - prey interactions, adaptation, interaction with environment, ecology) or Earth science as part of a look at the impact of global warming.
In addition you may enjoy presenting the information about animals in a different form, as a puzzle. The Animal Identification Nature Challenge Series is a collection of simple, free, online puzzles. In addition to being fun, they teach a little about how and where each animal lives.
In addition you may enjoy presenting the information about animals in a different form, as a puzzle. The Animal Identification Nature Challenge Series is a collection of simple, free, online puzzles. In addition to being fun, they teach a little about how and where each animal lives.
Science Education Resources
Children's Nature Books
A beautifully illustrated book on a nature topic can be a great way to build a young child's interest in the natural world and lay a foundation for biology education.
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