Meet the tiny but tough American pika.

The furry little creature perched atop the rock below weighs only about as much as a baseball. But don’t let that fool you. The pocket-sized pika is scrappier than it looks!

An American pika is a cold-weather warrior. It’s right at home high up in the windswept mountains of western North America. It stays warm and sheltered in the nooks and crannies between rocks, where it lives alone in its den.

The pika’s thick fur keeps it warm, too, and even covers the bottoms of its feet. It needs these protections, especially in the winter when temperatures plunge way below freezing. Its rocky den is usually close to meadows where the pika can get its fill of grasses, flowers, and other plants during the warmer parts of year. But the pika stays active all year long—no hibernating. That means it
needs to find food during those long winter months when hardly anything is growing. What fills its belly? Keep reading and find out!

NAME NOTE: Pikas might look like mice, but they are lagomorphs. That means they’re more closely related to rabbits than to mice. And they live on rocky mountain slopes. That’s why they are sometimes called “rock rabbits.”

HAYING TIME

Pika babies are born in early spring. At birth, a pika weighs no more than a pencil. Baby pikas stay hidden in their rocky dens, their mothers nursing and protecting them. But growing up happens fast. After only one month, the babies are ready to be on their own. This is because all pikas have an important job to do—and not much time in which to do it.

High up on the mountains, summer doesn’t last long. As soon as the grasses and other plants start to grow, a pika begins to prepare for the next winter. Carrying mouthfuls of plants, it scampers back and forth between nearby meadows and its den. This is called haying.

But a pika doesn’t just grab any plant. It picks plants that give it the most energy and nutrition. And it avoids poisonous plants. Smart!

A pika works hard for its hay. A single pika might make up to 100 haying trips in a day. Sometimes, the haypile it builds can be huge, weighing as much as 60 pounds! The pika moves everything into its den for safekeeping. Now, its pantry is full, and the pika is ready for winter.

PIKA DEFENSE

Pikas have to protect their plant stash. After all, they need that food to survive the winter! Each pika lives alone and doesn’t interact much with other pikas. But their dens are often near each other. If a pika comes too close to another pika’s territory, the defending pika will let out warning calls that say, “Stay away!” It will also try to chase away the intruder.

But living close together can be a help, too. Pikas spend most of their days out in the open, gathering food. And bobcats, hawks, coyotes, and especially weasels are always on the prowl for a nice pika meal. If a pika spots one of these predators, it will let out calls to warn other pikas to take cover.

KEEPING COOL

Pikas have another enemy besides predators: climate change. Scientists worry that, as Earth’s temperature rises, pikas may be in trouble. That’s because their bodies are made for cold weather. Warmer temperatures may put them at risk for overheating. It might sound strange, but they may also need cooler temperatures to stay warm! Here’s why: In the cold winter months, pikas tunnel under the snow to get around. The thick snow keeps the cold air out. But if warmer temperatures melt the snow, that blanket of protection is gone.

But there are examples of pikas living in much warmer environments, without that snowy shelter. This may mean that they can adapt to higher temperatures. If they’re tough enough to survive long cold winters, maybe they can survive a changing climate. For now, scientists are keeping their hopeful eyes on these rock rabbits!