Future for Charismatic Pika Not as Daunting as Once Feared

[sue4e3]

CORVALLIS, Ore. - The American pika is thought by many biologists to be a prime candidate for extirpation as the planet continues to warm, done in by temperatures too severe for this small mammal native to cold climates.

But a new study, published this week in the journal Global Change Biology, paints a different, more complex future for this rock-dwelling little lagomorph - the same order that includes rabbits and hares. Pikas may survive, even thrive, in some areas, the researchers say, while facing extirpation in others.

The research is important because pikas are considered a sentinel species for climate change impacts.

Led by Oregon State University post-doctoral researcher Donelle Schwalm, the study delved into where pikas live and how they move among habitat patches. The team used that information to create species distribution models for eight National Park Service areas in the western United States and forecast pika distribution 30, 60 and 90 years into the future, based on expected climate change scenarios.
http://www.sciencenewsline.com/news/2016013010500021.html

just because there is nothing better than a pika

[HassleCat]

1. One of the cutest animals we have

But I may be in the minority with my opinion. I also like groundhogs, and I feed them while my neighbors shoot them.

[sue4e3]

2. I have never seen a pika in real life, only pictures

I still find them adorable . I have seen prairie dogs and ground hogs , I loved them I could watch them all day . They were never pests. I used volunteer at a zoo ( the ucky work)as an older teenager. The prairie dog would watch me if I didn't look at him but if I did he was gone. I loved him to pieces. I wasn't allowed to feed him but I would sneek him food

[HassleCat]

3. How to see them

Pikas are residents of high altitude talus slopes. To see them, you can hike up to the alpine meadow elevations and look for a rock slide that has jumbled piles of large rocks. The pikas live in the rocks and harvest grass from the meadows. They store the grass the same way a farmer stores hay in a barn. Well, they don't have baling machinery, so they just make piles of grass. If you sit quietly among the rocks, they will come out and sun themselves or gather grass. When alarmed, the make a "whistle" noise, same as a groundhog.

Some of the national parks and grasslands have good prairie dog towns. My favorite is in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit. It's an easy hike, not crowded, and the prairie dogs will come out and look at you. Every once in a while, an eagle or hawk will swoop down, and all the prairie dogs will sound the alarm and dive for cover. There's also a bison herd, and they sometimes walk around near the prairie dog town. And the park is named after our only progressive president.

[sue4e3]

4. well I have family half way across the country, I live on the Jersey side of the Delaware bay

If I ever get to go again I'll have to make some detours use your advice and see a pika. I've seen herds of bison they were breathe taking. Thank You