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PIKA

?Pika[1]
American Pika (Ochotona princeps)
American Pika (Ochotona princeps)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Ochotonidae
Thomas, 1897
Genus: Ochotona
Link, 1795
Type Species
Ochotona minor
Link, 1795
(= Lepus dauuricus Pallas, 1776)
Species

See text

The name pika is used for any member of the Ochotonidae, a family within the order of lagomorphs, which also includes the Leporidae (rabbits and hares). One genus, Ochotona, is recognised within the family, and it includes 30 species. Pikas are also called rock rabbits or coneys. It is also known as the "whistling hare" due to its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow. The pika may look like a hamster, but is actually a cousin of the rabbit. The name "pika" appears to be derived from the Tungus "piika", or perhaps from the Russian "pikat'", to squeak. In the United States the pronunciation of the name is usually altered from /pika/ to /pɪka/, probably due to the spelling.

Contents

Habitat

Pikas are native to cold climates, mostly in Asia, North America and parts of eastern Europe. Eurasian pikas commonly live in family groups and share duties of gathering food and keeping watch. North American pikas (O. princeps and O. collaris) are asocial.

In the mountains of Eurasia, pikas often share their burrows with snowfinches, which build their nest there.

Activity

Pikas show their peak activity before the winter season. Pikas do not hibernate, so they rely on collected hay for warm bedding and food. Pikas gather fresh grasses and lay them in stacks to dry. Once the grasses dry out, the pikas take this hay back to the burrows for storage. It is not uncommon for pikas to steal hay from others; the resulting disputes are usually exploited by neighboring predators like ferrets and large birds.

In a January 2006 article in the Journal of Biogeography, archeologist Donald Grayson warned that human activity and global climate change appeared to be pushing the American pika population to ever-higher elevations, and thus possibly toward extinction. Grayson studied pika habitation over the past 40,000 years in the region between the Sierra Nevada (US) and Rocky Mountains. An earlier Journal of Mammalology article reached a similar conclusion.

Species

References

  1. ^ a b Hoffmann, Robert S.; Andrew T. Smith (November 16, 2005). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds) Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4, 185-193.

External links