The Pika Makes Hay and Stores It for Winter
A pika is a small mountain mammal related to rabbits. It farms its own winter food supply.
A pika is a small, round-eared mammal of rocky mountain slopes, related not to rodents but to rabbits and hares. It does not hibernate. Instead it spends the summer cutting vegetation and spreading it on rocks to dry, building haypiles that can weigh several kilograms, then eats through them under the snow. Pikas will steal from each other's piles, and they guard them. The name comes from Tunguz *piika*, taken into Russian and then into English.
- A small mountain mammal. *An American pika.*
- Haypile — its winter store. *A haypile.*
- Lagomorph — its order. *A lagomorph.*
- Related to rabbits. *Not a rodent.*
- Tunguz — *piika*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | pika | A pika. |
| Plural | pikas | Pikas. |
| Order | Lagomorpha | Lagomorpha. |
| Related | rabbit | A rabbit. |
| Russian | pika | A pika. |
- A pika called from the rocks.Animal.
- It builds haypiles for winter.Behaviour.
- Pikas are lagomorphs.Classification.
Rabbits are not rodents
- Lagomorphs include rabbits, hares and pikas
- They have four upper incisors, rodents have two
- The second pair sits behind the first, called peg teeth
- All are herbivores, unlike many rodents
- They were reclassified out of the rodents in 1912
From Tunguz *piika*, through Russian, recorded in English from the 1800s.
Is a pika a rodent?
No. It is a lagomorph, related to rabbits and hares, which have four upper incisors rather than two.
How do pikas survive winter?
They do not hibernate. They cut and dry vegetation all summer into haypiles and eat through them under the snow.