Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Where have all the pikas gone?

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

This post was written by Carolyn Weddle, 2012 Project Specialist.

When I hear the word “pika,” I think of a small, cute, rabbit-like animal. Native to cold climates and rocky mountainsides, the American Pika is a well-known wild animal in the Sierra Nevada. But recently something has been happening to their habitat.

An American Pika in rocky, high-elevation Mono Basin habitat. Photo by Elin Ljung.

According to an article in the Sacramento Bee, the State of California is now looking at putting the American Pika under endangered status. After being rejected for protection under the California Endangered Species Act in 2009, further research has suggested that pika habitat may be shrinking due to warming temperatures in the lower parts of their habitat range. Pika population losses have been observed in both the Bodie and Lassen forest regions.

So what will the future hold for the American Pika? Only time will tell as an endangered status review of the American Pika is in process by the California Department of Fish & Game.