Sunday, October 30, 2011

Pikas

The pika is a small mammal, with short limbs, rounded ears, and short tail. It is also known as the "whistling hare" due to its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow. The name "pika" appears to be derived from the Tungus piika.

Habitat

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.

Activity


Vegetation pile, drying on rocks for subsequent storage. Gad Valley, Snowbird Ski Resort, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

American pika with mouthful of dried grass. Sequoia National Park, CA
Pikas are diurnal or crepuscular, with higher altitude species generally being more active during the daytime. They 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.
Eurasian pikas commonly live in family groups and share duties of gathering food and keeping watch. At least some species are territorial. North American pikas (O. princeps and O. collaris) are asocial, leading solitary lives outside the breeding season.

Pika photos

More than a Mouthful (pika-5857.jpg)
"More than a Mouthful by Larsthrows

More than a Mouthful Too! (pika_DSF5803.jpg)
"More than a Mouthful Too! by Larsthrows

Ochotona thibetana,Tibetan Pika, རྫ་བྲ་ rdza bra/bra ba,
"Ochotona thibetana,Tibetan Pika by reurinkjan

If you would like to keep up with all latest Randomnies additions, please subscribe to Randomnies RSSRSS feed or subscribe to Randomnies by Email.

Productivity Future Vision (2011)



Watch how future technology will help people make better use of their time, focus their attention, and strengthen relationships while getting things done at work, home, and on the go. (Release: 2011)
If you would like to keep up with all latest Randomnies additions, please subscribe to Randomnies RSSRSS feed or subscribe to Randomnies by Email.

Subscribe

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Word of the Day

Article of the Day

This Day in History

Today's Birthday

In the News

Quote of the Day

Spelling Bee
difficulty level:
score: -
please wait...
 
spell the word:

Match Up
Match each word in the left column with its synonym on the right. When finished, click Answer to see the results. Good luck!

 
Add to The Free Dictionary