PIKA

Pika (Ochotona princeps) also called Little Chief Hare, Mousehare, Whistling Hare, or Piping Hare, any of numerous small, essentially tailless, rabbitlike mammals found in parts of western North America as well as in Asia and eastern Europe. Pikas belong to the genus Ochotona, the family Ochotonidae, and the order Lagomorpha. The names rock rabbit and cony (coney) are sometimes ambiguously applied to these animals as well as to the unrelated hyrax (q.v.). Pikas have rounded ears; their brownish or reddish fur is soft, long, and thick. They are about 15 to 30 centimetres (6 to 12 inches) long and weigh about 125 to 440 grams (4 to 14 ounces). Most pikas live in rocky, mountainous areas, but, in Asia, some species inhabit burrows in forests and even in desert areas. Pikas do not seem to hibernate. During the summer and autumn months, pikas harvest vegetation, which they dry in the sun. This hay, stored under rocks or in other protected places, provides a source of food during the winter. Pikas bear several litters of two to six naked young in the spring and summer months. The gestation period is about one month.