http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/americanpika.htm
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http://www.arkive.org/americanpika/ochotona-princeps/video-00.html
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/p
layer/news/animals-news/pika-in-perilmissions-wcvin.html
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The American pika can be found in western
North America from central British Columbia
in Canada to Oregon, Washington, Idaho,
Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada,
California and New Mexico.
where it has a widespread but discontinuous
distribution
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Isolated rocky alpine regions called talus
formations
Elevation in the north: sea level to 3,000 meters
Elevation in the south: above 2500 meters
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Predators: eagles, hawks, coyotes,
bobcats, foxes, and weasels
Eats a variety of green plants like
grasses, sedges, thistles and
fireweed.
It will eat some food on the spot and
it will carry some food away and
store in a pile or "haystack."
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Predator Alert System for
other animals:
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Between mowing the grass
and herbs
Barking at predators
http://raysweb.net/wildlife
/images/pika_new.jpg
http://www.animalspot.net
/wpcontent/uploads/2011/07/Pi
cture-of-American-Pika.jpg
http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/
WI/223/1990/PreviewComp/SuperSto
ck_1990-18500.jpg
http://w
ww.nps.
gov/feat
ures/yell
/slidefile
/mamm
als/pika
/Images
/01645.jp
g
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??????
Really—after looking hard, I couldn’t find a single
site with an actual number.
 A study conducted between 1994 and 1999 found
that 7 of 25 monitored American pika populations
had become extinct, partially due to climate change
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More studies are being done
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The American pika is classified as Least
Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List
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In view of its decreasing populations, six
subspecies of the American pika are
categorized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service as ‘Species of Concern’, meaning it is
important that their populations are monitored
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Was considered as a potential addition to the
endangered species list
Obama administration rejected it: not enough
evidence of population loss
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Length: 6.2 – 8.5 inches and
Weight: 4 – 6.3
http://media3.web.britannica.com/ebmedia/16/3516-00467E3395A.jpg
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The pika is a very vocal animal
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Warns of predator intruders
Males sing during mating season
Dense fur for
surviving
winter
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Emerging from den in winter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KcjBHOy
F0
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may be one of the first mammals impacted
appears to have contributed to local extinctions
of pika populations
'canary in the coal mine' when it comes to the
response of alpine and mountain systems to
global warming.
From the World Wildlife Fund
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Mountaintop habitat means they cannot move
further up the mountain (no refuge)
Cannot migrate across valleys to a taller
mountain (too risky and too hot and too far).
Other animals are moving into their habitat
Climate may be interacting with other factors
such as proximity to roads and smaller habitat
area to increase extinction risk for pikas,
creating detrimental synergistic effects.
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Young in the nest
Video Link:
http://www.arkive.org/americ
an-pika/ochotonaprinceps/video-09.html
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Entering nest
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Pikas do not inhabit burrows which could
mitigate extreme temperatures and are highly
active aboveground during the hottest months
of the year.
In the Spring and Summer, they hay.
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If plants mature faster, they cannot hay fast enough
to store enough for winter.
Dense fur may cause them to overheat.
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Freezing in the winter
due to less snow pack
Snow acts as insulation.
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Domestic and feral cattle
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American pika populations are
smaller where cattle graze.
Non-native plant species are
also spreading across the
American pika’s habitat
Wildfires
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Reduces food availability
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The American pika is afforded protection in a
number of reserves
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developing management
plans for its populations,
with further research into
its population numbers,
trends and range, as well
as its habitat status and
threats, and the
identification of new
protected areas
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it is illegal to hunt this
species throughout its
range
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Suitability modeling: Geographic Information
System
Help to predict when and where pika populations
will decline
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http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climateweather/videos/assignment-earth-pikas-andclimate-change
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How come many scientists say that Pikas are
like the 'canary in the coal mine' when it comes
to the response of alpine and mountain systems
to climate change?