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Show a SPECIES ee #Summit Books & a & Coffeebar OF THE MONTH Pikas S « Furry Ventriloquists of the Mountains a.m. In the afternoon, a pika spends hours sitting on a rock, basking in the mountain sunshine. If rain threatens the haystack, the pika scurries to carry his harvest to the shelter of his rocky burrow. Spring brings a breeding season that lasts through summer. Consequently, the young are born anytime from late May to early September. Three to six pikas are born naked and helpless. They double their weight within five days and are walking by the end of the week. The mother suckles the young for three weeks. The youngsters leave the nest three or four days later. They are fully mature in six weeks. Pikas must grow quickly, leave the den, establish a territory, .-exercise your mind... Stop in and say hi, relax and browse 3 ie while you enjoy one FREE ESPRESSC OR TEA BEVERA( with this coupon! a open daily...655-944€ — = 780 Main St. Park City Mes ssc: 3 % Z = and stockpile their winter food supply before the snows come. Young born accomplish this do not survive. too late to Like rabbits and hares, pikas practice coprophagy - they eat their own droppings. Soft, glutinous pellets are secreted in the evening or early morning and are immedi- Red Butte Garden and Arboretum also intent on collecting his winter food suphel igh UV sunshine of a mountain cirque’s short summer glares across the boulder field and burns delicate human eyes. Leaping amongst Volkswagen-sized quartzite stones, the backpacking college students hear the trickling water of a spring hidden far beneath their feet. Just a quarter-mile from Red Pine Lake, they stop to plan their course. Not far off their path, a curious two foot pile of fresh greenery is neatly stacked in a sunny leeward crevice between two particularly large boulders. Who carried these grasses and wildflowers 100 yards from the nearest meadow to create this tidy “haystack?” An elusive stubby-eared rabbit, the Mountain pika. Although pikas are often assigned same order as rabbits and _ (Lagomorpha), they look more like pigs or chinchillas, because of their Rocky to the hares guinea small ears. Lagomorphs have two pairs of chisellike upper incisors that they use to clip off edible plants. Also, lagomorphs chew with a side to side movement rather than the rotary motion used by rodents. There are 14 species of pika in the northern hemisphere, with only two in North America. Because of their remote habitats and elusive natures, pikas were not noticed by scientists until the 18th century. More is known of the 13 Eurasian species than our own Rocky Mountain pika. As soon as the snow melts away from a boulder field, the Rocky Mountain pika is active darting among the rocks with a scurrying gait resembling that ofa mouse. He leaves the security of his rock house and follows well worn paths to nearby grassy meadows. There ply, which he carries back to rocks near his den and spreads them out to dry in the sun. The piles grow slowly as vegetation is collected. Eventually, each pika may have 3 or 4 bushel-sized haystacks. The haystacks of PIKA, Ochotona princeps Also Known As: Rock rabbit, piping hare, calling hare, cony. Description: Coat short and dense, grayish to light yellowish brown. Body rounded and 6 to 8 inches long, shaped and moving like a giant mouse, About 4 ounces. Short legs and large head with ately reingested. Digesting plant material twice allows pikas to assimilate vitamins, carbohydrates and water that would otherwise be wasted. Secondary pellets that are voided at other times of the day are hard and dry and are not reingested. Pikas also concentrate urine to conserve water. This highly acidic urine leaves distinctive white marks of nitrogenous salts on the rocks. Habitat: Remote. Rocky fields in alpine and sub-alpine meadows. Behavior: Highly social. Live in large colonies. High level of chatter and warning barks. Alert one another of danger with their high pitched barking. Do not hibernate, but remain active through the winter. short broad, round ears and no visible tail. Life span: Up to 6 years. Feet with furry soles for gripping rocks. Range: The Rocky Mountains from Where to see it: Arizona and New Mexico to Alaska and the Yukon. Cascades and Sierras. From 5,400 to 13,000 feet elevation. Absent from the mountains of the Great Basin, boulder field, within view of a haystack, in Good luck! Sit quiet ly in a high elevation Rocky Mountain early morning. Listen for their high pitched barks, but temember, they are highly skilled ventriloquist. @ the Rocky Mountain pikas are about two feet high and weigh up to 50 pounds. Once dried, the food material is cached in the rocky labyrinths under the boulder field where the pika makes his home. The drying process prevents molding in storage. Through the frigid alpine winters a pika is active and does not hibernate. He often moves around, making tunnels through the snow. He stays warm and dry beneath the sheltering boulders and warm blanket of Boulder hopping humans are more likely to see a pika's haystack or hear his clear voice before they seem one. Voices of plains pikas of Eurasia can be heard a quarter mile away. The distinctive high-pitched bark of our Rocky Mountain pika is further amplified by echoing off cliff faces and faceted boulders. These acoustic qualities mask the source of the sound and pikas seem to be adept ventriloquists. snow - sustained by his stores of “hay.” pika call is picked up by nearby pikas and repeated throughout the colony. If real danger threatens, pikas dive into the safety of their rocky burrows. @ Pikas forage for food from mid-July until all available food is snow covered. They cut, dry and store from dawn to about 11:00 SOCIAL - CLuB Best Atmosphere,. Best Lunch, Best Appetizers... Beez Cl mutel cot Ae a4) RU Cee TROLLEY SQUARE 532-4200 X-Wife’s Place | Trolley Square’s neighborhood ar for over 30 years. Where Everybody Knows What’s Going On... ...sports, tv's, pool, darts, pinball, cd music, large and private patio, food, good humor (your local Cheers), cool, comfy atmosphere and more!!! Uttered at the first sign of an intruder, a 465 South 700 East 532-1954 A Private Club For Members ¢ SIWIL NIVLNNOW A vegetarian diet is not high in calories, so a pika must eat almost constantly. He is £49Vd he clips plants with his sharp front teeth. By Pam Poulson Manager of Visitor Education |