Save the Pika Foundation is a non-profitable organization to raise awareness of the decreasing amounts of Pikas.
Pika
The Pika is a small mammal, it has a round body with thick gray-brown fur. It has small circular ears with no visible tail. The Pika can be anywhere from 6-8 inches long and weighs around six ounces. The Pikas distant relatives are the rabbit, hare and guinea pig. It is not considered a rodent.
Habitat
Pikas live in rocky, high mountains, in Asia and North America. The mountains usually reach heights of 8,000-13,000 feet. The Pika makes its home in rock piles, with a colony of other Pikas. The Pika will still defend their habitat from other Pikas because they are very territorial.
Niche
Pikas are herbivores so they eat plants like:
The Pikas have many predators like:
- Grass
- Sedges
- Thistles
- Firewood
- Straw
The Pikas have many predators like:
- Eagles
- Hawks
- Coyotes
- Bob cats
- Foxes
- Weasels
Reproduction
The Pikas mating season starts in late April and usually goes to early July. The female will give birth to 2-6 babies in the spring, the average life span of a Pika is 5-7 years. The babies will begin to get weaned between three to four weeks, in another four weeks they are expected to leave their mother. At three months old they will be full grown. There are 29 different breeds of Pikas.
Endangered
The Pika has not changed its ways at all over the years, the only thing it has done is move further up in the mountains in hopes of colder weather. The Pika has become endangered because of Global Warming, the Pika needs the cold to survive and with our earth heating up it can not function the way it is suppose to. If the Pika were to become extinct the animals that eat it may starve because the Pika is their food source. Also the area that the Pika used for food would be affected, for example if there were no animal to eat the thistles it would take over the grass, that say a deer eats then the deer would be hungry and possibly die, which could start a huge chain reaction.
How to help save the Pika
Current things being done to save the Pika are very little, the only thing you can really do is reduce your contribution towards Global Warming. Organizations such as World Wildlife Fund are trying to bring awareness to the importance of being aware that Global Warming is a very serious situation. It kills off many animals, and they are trying to help stop that!
Ways to help reduce Global Warming:
Ways to help reduce Global Warming:
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- Choose reusable products instead of disposable
- Buy energy efficient products-Even buying things with less packaging is efficient!
- Turn off things when not in use-Like lights, T.V's, computers etc.
- Take cloth bags to the store instead of using the stores plastic bags.
