4088 x 4323 px | 34,6 x 36,6 cm | 13,6 x 14,4 inches | 300dpi
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Pikas are small hamster-like animals, with short limbs, rounded ears, and short tails. The name pika (archaically spelled pica) 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 English the pronunciation of the name is usually anglicised from /pika/(peeka) to /'paɪ·ka/, due to the spelling. Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Lagomorpha Family: Ochotonidae Genus: Ochotona Type species Ochotona minor Pikas are native to cold climates, mostly in Asia, North America and parts of eastern Europe. Most species live on rocky mountain sides, where there are numerous crevices to shelter in, although some also construct crude burrows. A few burrowing species are instead native to open steppe land. In the mountains of Eurasia, pikas often share their burrows with snowfinches, which build their nests there. In an 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 (U.S.) and Rocky Mountains. An earlier Journal of Mammalogy article reached a similar conclusion. Because of these factors, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has considered granting the pika protected status under the Endangered Species Act.
