American Pika

Description:

Pika are small vocal, and diurnal herbivores related to the rabbit and hare with round ears and no tail.

Habitat:

Pika live on rock covered hillsides above 8000 feet. Their range in North America is from British Columbia to New Mexico and west to California.

Notes:

Pikas do not hibernate so they must make hundreds of daily trips during the summer to collect and store a cache of winter food. Many times, the pika will collect poisonous plants. The poison acts as a food preservative during the long winter months but will eventually lose its toxicity. Later in the season, when the plant is safe to eat, the pikas have a fresh food source.