Mammals · Lagomorpha · Ochotonidae

American Pika

Ochotona princeps

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The American pika is a small lagomorph of the mountains of western North America, tied to scree and boulder fields above the tree line. Unlike the Asian pikas it is territorial and solitary: each animal defends its own patch of scree and its own haypile. It does not hibernate, so it spends the summer cutting grasses and flowers and piling them in the sun to dry. It is extremely sensitive to heat: it can die after a few hours exposed to temperatures above 25 degrees.

Weight

121 g – 176 g

Size

16 cm – 22 cm

Lifespan

6 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

MountainHerbivore Diurnal Solitary Mountain Mammal

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Fun facts

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.
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.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: High-mountain scree and boulder fields of the Rockies and the Californian Sierra Nevada
Sexual maturity: 11.4 months
Gestation / incubation: 30 days
Litter / clutch size: 3

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochotona_princeps