“Pikaaaaaa!!!” Is it Pikachu? I’m afraid not. It cannot emit lightning bolt from its cheek like Pikachu does🌩️, nor does it has a lightning bolt-shaped tail⚡️, yet this little fella also has some fascinating traits that make it unique✨. Its name? The American pika, 𝘖𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘴 (Richardson, 1828). If superficially, it looks like a mouse🐭 or a hamster🐹, it is, however, a very distinct animal from them. Indeed, American pikas belong to the order Lagomorpha (meaning “hare-formed”). Therefore, it is more closely related to rabbits and hares🐰🐇 than rodents. This little creature can be found in boulder fields or rock piles in mountainous areas located in the western United States and Canada. Fun fact: the fictional character of Pikachu was not based on American pikas despite similarities in their names🤯.
Within the Lagomorpha order, the American pikas are rather small, with a body length ranging from 16 to 22 cm, and with rather small ears👂🏻, their ear-body ratio being much smaller than their relatives. Their ovoid body shape🟤, associated with the absence of a tail❌, and their black and brown colourations help them camouflage in the barren habitats they inhabit🏔️. Unlike rabbits and hares famous for their jumping abilities, pikas do not present similar skills as they do not have strong hind legs🦵🏼; instead, their hind legs are just slightly longer than their front legs, making them less capable of jumping. These little creatures are diurnal herbivores🥗, with their diet mainly consisting of grasses, weeds and tall wildflowers that grow on rocky hills🌱. Their lifestyle makes them potential prey🍽️ for mountainous carnivorous mammals🐺 or birds of prey🦅, such as bobcats, weasels, coyotes, hawks and eagles.
The alpine habitat🌲 in which the American pikas live can be extremely cold during winter🥶, forcing a number of animals to hibernate to survive this tough period😴. But not the pikas; so how do they survive through the long winter without food🤩? The American pikas have a special trick for storing their food; during the summer😎, they will collect more food than they need, with extra piles then placed them under the sun☀️. The solar radiation will evaporate the water content in the plants to prevent mould, and the pikas will bring those “dry-aged” delicacies🍝 into their dens as storage food for the freezing winter. Yes, you read well; they process their food to store it underground in the provision of cold times ahead❄️. In fact, pikas are so good at it that these hay piles can store up to 350 days of food🤯, much more than needed to endure the winter. During the coldest months, they will burrow themselves in tunnels and dens deep down under the snow and rocks, with the deep snowpack acting as a heat insulator keeping them from freezing🥰. Whenever possible, the pikas will leave their dens and forage for more food near their dens - they are relentless at getting more food🔥!
American pikas are neither social nor solitary🤔. They can be found in small colonies over a particular area to inform each other whenever danger approaches⚠️, but they are territorial over their dens and will not live together🚷. The habitat in which they live is extremely inhospitable🗻; in this dangerous and treacherous environment😰, pikas can only protect themselves from predators by living in small colonies. With this strategy, communication between pikas becomes very important; they will send out various calls🔊, including individual recognition calls and, most importantly, warning calls that notify other pikas within the colony that a predator is approaching🗣️. This strategy can aid them in avoiding being caught by predators on the mountain slopes💪🏻.
As the pikas are living at the top of mountains, some populations are living near their thermal maximum🥵, and if the world continues to warm, they may be seriously threatened🥺, with no other areas to colonise. If you are interested in seeing this true Pokémon in front of your eyes and learning more about them👀, be sure to come to the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum. We have a plethora of other unique animals and stories that go beyond your imagination, making biodiversity so important and inspiring!😍
Text: Ryan Tse
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