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American Pika | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

American Pika

Ochotona princeps

MammaliaTalus slopes and rockfalls in alpine and subalpine mountainsLeast Concern

Field profile

The American pika is a small round-eared lagomorph of high mountain talus, related to rabbits and hares rather than to rodents. It does not hibernate, instead cutting and drying vegetation into haypiles that feed it through winter. It is highly sensitive to heat and avoids exposure to warm surface temperatures.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-04-19

American Pika

Pikas cut and cure hay for winter

Through summer a pika harvests plants, carries them to a sheltered rock cavity and spreads them to dry, building a haypile of several kilograms. It eats from that store all winter beneath the snow, since unlike marmots it does not hibernate.

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