A small, tailless member of the rabbit family, guinea-pig like in
form, with short, round ears and a varying colored coat, ranging from
buffy to brown. Total length 7 inches. Height at shoulder 3 inches.
[Illustration: Pika]
[Illustration: Cottontail Rabbit]
The little, abrupt-moving pika is found abundantly among the rock slides
and slopes from timberline to the highest alpine peaks. Its high, quick
bleat or shrill squeak, ventriloquistic in character, may be heard at
any of the large rock piles in the alpine zone. Having a pronounced
preference for cooler climate, it is but rarely found in the
lower-valley montane zone. Wonderfully camouflaged to blend in with the
rocks where it lives, it always crouches on all fours, never "sitting
up" as do the similar sized ground squirrels. The pika spends his summer
industriously gathering grasses and flowers and "curing" them on the
sun-baked rocks to form his winter supply of food or "haypile." He does
not hibernate, but lives actively throughout the winter, snug and secure
from winter storms among the rock piles.