The pika is a close relative of rabbits and hares, with two upper incisors on each side of the jaw, one behind the other. Being rock-gray in color, pikas are seldom seen until their shrill, metallic call reveals their presence.
The pika is a close relative of the rabbits and hares, with two upper incisors on each side of the jaw, one behind the other. Being rock-gray in color, pikas are seldom seen until their shrill, metallic call reveals their presence. Once located, they are fun to watch as they scurry around the mountainside, stopping frequently to squeak a warning. The animals are about the size and shape of a guinea pig, about eight inches in length, and weighing about seven ounces. Their tiny round droppings and distinctive hay piles are common around rocks near and above treeline.
Like many mammals, pikas shed in late spring from their long winter coats to a shorter summer coat, then shed again in the fall. Because of the short warm season, the end of spring shedding can actually overlap the beginning of the fall shed so the animals look scruffy most of the summer.
The maximum life span is four to seven years. Predators of pikas include long-tailed weasels, ermines, and martens. Coyotes and hawks probably take a toll as well, but pikas are fairly well protected from larger predators by their rocky habitat.
Range
Pikas are restricted to mountainous parts of Colorado and other Western states.
Habitat
Mostly alpine and subalpine talus and rock piles.
Diet
Pikas are active year-round; they harvest vegetation from alpine meadows during the short growing season and store it for winter food in bushel-sized mounds beneath boulders.
Reproduction
Pikas breed in March or April and have a litter of three or four young after a gestation period of about 30 days. Some females have a second litter.