Species group · Mammals

Pikas

WAnimals has 2 species of pika, all in the family Ochotonidae.

2 species
1 family
13 countries
34 parks
Weight
121 g – 250 g
Length
16 cm – 23 cm
Lifespan
3 – 6 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 2.

All 2 species of pikas on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

2 Least Concern

No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 13 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

  • It cuts grass in summer and leaves it to dry in the sun in tidy little heaps, a hoarding habit that has earned it the nickname of farmer of the steppe.

    From Pallas's Pika

  • Pikas are not rodents but lagomorphs, that is, close relatives of rabbits and hares, with which they share a second pair of incisors behind the first.

    From Pallas's Pika

  • It is one of the mammals most often cited as an indicator of climate change: since it cannot tolerate heat and lives on isolated summits, it has nowhere higher to go when its mountain warms, and several populations in the Great Basin have already died out locally.

    From American Pika

  • It cuts and dries grass in the sun into haypiles that can weigh several kilos, and defends its heap with squeaks against any neighbour that tries to steal from it.

    From American Pika

Ecosystems

See every species group · Explore the species one by one