It’s been a long week. You deserve some fun pika pics facts.
Pika fun facts
Pika's hair is so thick that even after shedding in the summer, if they are exposed to the sun/hot temperatures for too long they will overheat and die.
One pika can gather up to 60 pounds of grass for winter.
They are very territorial, but live in colonies so that they may call out to each other to alert for dangers.
They will set out their collections of grasses and wildflowers to dry before caching them for the winter so that they don't mold
Pikas are more closely related to rabbits than mice
Sorry to end on a sobering note, but pikas have decreased by 50% in the Rocky mountains. Pikas overheat easily and longer, hotter summers and less certain snowpack in the winter means that these little critters are struggling to cross south facing slopes and lower elevations without expiring. Limited movement means that populations turn into little islands and sometimes due to disease or other natural causes those islands just wink out and can’t be restored.