Pika
Last Review/Updated: May 31, 2002
Ochotona princeps
Pikas are small lagomorphs, with no apparent tail, and short, rounded ears. They weigh about 160 grams (5.6 oz.), and have a long, dense fur similar to that of rabbits and hares. The upperparts are brownish grey, peppered with black, and the underparts are greyish white. However, there is considerable color variation between individuals and populations.
The breeding season starts in April and continues into the summer. Litters of 3 to 4 young are born to each female about a month after mating. Two litters may be produced in a season. Young are precocial, being densely furred at birth.
Pikas inhabit rock slides in the alpine and montane zones of the Rocky Mountains. They live in loosely associated colonies where individuals defend small territories of talus against incursions by neighbors. Pikas have a characteristic "bleating" call that is used to announce their presence on a territory. They have an alarm call that alerts members of the colony to danger.
Pikas eat a variety of plants on and near the rock slide. In late summer, they begin collecting large quantities of vegetation from the meadows and forest adjoining the rock slide. Each pika piles the vegetation in a "haystack" located within its territory in the shelter of the rock. The vegetation dries and provides the pika with some of its winter food.
