Facts About Pikas

Pikas live in cold climates across Asia, North America, and parts of Eastern Europe, typically in rocky, mountainous terrain called talus slopes.

Despite their rodent-like appearance, pikas are not rodents at all. They belong to the family Ochotonidae, part of the order Lagomorpha, which also includes rabbits and hares.

Pikas are famous 'haymakers': in late summer they gather and dry piles of grasses and other plants, called haypiles, to eat through the winter when fresh vegetation is unavailable.

Pikas are surprisingly vocal, using short, high-pitched calls and songs to defend territory, attract mates, and warn each other of approaching predators.

Unlike many cold-climate mammals, pikas do not hibernate. They stay active all winter, sheltering under snow and living off their stored haypiles.

American pikas are highly sensitive to heat, and prolonged exposure to temperatures much above the high 70s Fahrenheit can be lethal to them, which is why they're often studied as an early-warning indicator of climate change in mountain ecosystems.

Pikas are strongly territorial. Each individual defends its own patch of rocky habitat, especially during the breeding season, and will chase off intruders with chases and vocal calls.

American pikas typically live around 3 to 7 years in the wild, with many not surviving past age 3 or 4 due to predation and harsh conditions.

Female pikas can produce up to two litters a year, usually with 2 to 6 young per litter, though often only one litter survives to weaning because raising two litters is so demanding on the mother.

Natural predators of pikas include hawks, eagles, weasels, and foxes. Pikas rely on sharp eyesight and hearing to spot danger and dash back to their rocky burrows.

The American pika is not currently listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and the IUCN classifies it as a species of least concern overall - but it has already disappeared from parts of its historic range in the Great Basin due to warming temperatures.

Pikas have exceptionally dense fur for their size, which provides excellent insulation and is one reason they can't tolerate high heat despite being so cold-hardy.

A pika's rounded ears, though large for its body, are actually shorter and rounder than a rabbit's, one of the visible traits that sets pikas apart from their lagomorph cousins.

Some pika species, like the collared pika of Alaska and Canada, live in colder, more northern ranges and rely on similarly stocked haypiles to survive long winters.