6. Life Cycle
Mate sometime
around after the
snow melts
late april to early july
females produce 2-4
babies
males communicate
with noises
7. Tempermant
• Active during the
day
• Devote its day to
searching for food
and protecting
territory
• Use calls and sounds
to communicate
• Calls are used to
8. Habitat
• Live in scree near or
above tree line
• Makes home in
between rocks.
• Intolerant to high
duirnal temperatures.
9. Climate
• The American Pika is
a cold-loving animal.
• Temperatures over
80⁰ F can be lethal
to the animal.
10. Population
• Population of the
Pika has been
decreasing in the
past couple of years.
• The population
decrease is the
result of global
warming because the
Pika cannot stand
11. Endangered or Not
• Yes, the American
Pika is considered
endangered by
wildlife enthusiasts
• But the Pika is not
officially considered
endangered because
president obama
denied the request
for an endangered
12. Diet
As relatives of the rabbit, they are herbivores
They will eat a large variety of green plants
Grasses, sedges, thistles, fireweed, short alpine grasses, etc.
When they find food, they eat some and save the rest for winter
The kept food is stored in a safekeeping pile or haystack, which is often moved
around to protect against rain. When this food dries, the pika moves it to its den
deep in the rocks.
These piles can be up to 3 feet in diameter and 50 pounds in weight!
If food supplies are low during winter, then they eat lichens and cushion
plants
13. Predators
American pikas watch for eagles, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, and
weasels
Most of their day is devoted to this
When predators are near, pikas use both calls and songs to
communicate and warn
These calls sound like a bleat of a goat
14. Non-Animal Threats (Global
According to a 2003 study, 36% of the sample populations in the Great Basin
disappeared
As they live in the higher and cooler mountain areas, they are very sensitive to hot
temperatures, and are even used as a warning system for detecting global warming in
the western United States
Temperature increases are leading them to migrate to a higher elevation
However, they cannot easily migrate in response to climate change
Pikas can die in six hours when exposed to a temperature of 77.9°F or higher
In warm environments during midday, pikas withdraw and become inactive due to their
dense fur not being able to tolerate the heat
15. Interesting Facts
American Pikas communicate with each other using short alarm calls or
longer vocalization
They mark territory using the scent from their cheek glands
Even though they are relatives of the rabbit and the hare, their ears are
short, they have short hind legs, and they have short hind feet
They have a tail, even though it is hardly visible
Babies reach adult size after 3 months
There are 30 living species of the pika
The American pika is one of the two species that occur in North America. The other 28
are in Asia. Text
They are also known as “conies”
16. Saving the American Pika
• How can you be a part of the solu;on
to global warming and help the
American pikas?
– If the trend of global warming is not
reversed, then American pikas will
become ex;nct
• The Obama administra;on refused to
rule them as endangered, sta;ng
that the American pika
• If you don’t want to take this risk,
sponsor us, and we will use the
money to pay biologists to monitor
and help take care of American pikas
in places such as Utah
• Also, become ac;ve in the effort
against carbon emissions and
greenhouse gases
• "To conclude the species is not even
threatened by climate change is truly
irresponsible.“ (Greg Loarie, an
aLorney with Earthjus;ce)
• Do you really want all of these
