The American Pika

The American Pika (Ochotona princeps) is a small mouse-like creature closely related to rabbits and hares. When I researched the pika for this post I soon realised how fascinating they are.

They are at home in boulder fields at or above the tree line in the mountains of western North America and Canada. The pika pictured here was photographed in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

They are herbivorous and feed on a wide variety of plants. But they do not hibernate so spend a lot of time "haying", or collecting food to store for winter. The timing of haying correlated with the amount of precipitation during the previous winter [1]. They also seem to assess the nutritional value of available food and harvest accordingly [2].

Pikas are reflex ovulators, meaning that ovulation only occurs after copulation. A female will usually have two litters per year and these litters average about three young. Breeding begins one month before the snow melts and the gestation period lasts around 30 days.

Pika are extremely sensitive to high temperatures, and are considered an early warning sign for global warming [3]. If a pika fails to find a refuge from extreme heat (temperatures above 25.5 °C (77.9 °F)) They are at risk of death. It is thought that global warming is a pikas greatest threat.

We felt very lucky to be able to photograph the little cutie as the pikas can be extremely fast. While hiking you will most definitely hear their "MEEP!" at the sight of you but quickly scamper off as you approach.