Critters

I've only heard them. Too wiley to get picture. Nice Bob!

Thanks for sharing Bob.

The whiskers are impressive.

Nice pic Bob.

Plus, I'll bet that they are tasty.

–B.G.–

Cute!

I was lucky to see one on my last trip, but no photo.

I've seen a number of them but as you point out, they're very timid little creatures. I've got pictures of them but once home I can't find them in the frame because the shot must be taken from so far away.

"Plus, I'll bet that they are tasty."

But, Bob, you would probably need 4-5 of the little guys to make a meal, assuming that you have a couple of sides to go with them.

What sort of life do you suppose they have during the winter, since they don't really hibernate? Do they play pica checkers or maybe cribbage to pass the dark winter nights? Tell each other scary bedtime stories, maybe? In my next life, I hope I don't come back as a pica. I'd rather be a sloth…

Great photo, great whiskers, and a fine job with the camera, B.G.

Gary, a pica is a unit of type. A pika is a small mammal related to a rabbit.

I'm uncertain about the culinary use of pika meat. The little guys are so cute that I have lost my thought about harvesting them. You would need to clean them and cook them hot (because of parasites). To find out for sure, contact a friendly long-tailed weasel.

Yes, apparently they do not hibernate. About thirty years ago there was a group of scientists studying these critters to try to figure out how they do it on so little food. It turns out that they are very selective in the food that they forage. They know which edible grasses have the most nutrients and water.

Pikas are not social animals, so I doubt that they play checkers. They live alone.

–B.G.–

"Gary, a pica is a unit of type. A pika is a small mammal related to a rabbit."

also an eating disorder.

I managed to get within about 8ft of this guy in Upper Basin, I generally find they run off if they are remote from their nest, but if they are in a familiar place with an easy escape they are relatively curious about you if you hang around for a while.

By contrast, I have found the other Lagomorphs of the High Sierra (Rabbits/Cottontails) to be very reclusive, I've only seen them in 3 places (Hopkins, Upper and Lakes Basins) and each time it has been a blur of white tail and hind legs. If anyone has been anywhere in the High sierra where they are more common I'd appreciate the info.

Dave

Like many rodents, and whiskers are a bit wider when fanned out than the Pika itself. Helps navigate pitch dark spots down in the talus (especially during winter).

Pikas need talus big enough to form plenty of gaps for them to live in, but small enough that nothing save weasels can follow, all while being close to plenty of alpine forbes (they have to harvest a years worth of food between May and October). Based on this finding them should be predictable.

Extrapolating from how tasty snowshoe hare is when cooked probably, I assume Pika would in fact be delicious.

The only rabbit I recall seeing in the Sierra was a big jack rabbit on the Parker/Mono Pass trail, in a rocky area, if that helps any.

"If anyone has been anywhere in the High sierra where they are more common I'd appreciate the info."

Try the lower end of the Miter Basin, Soldier Lake, and slightly downhill.

–B.G.–

Pikas eat in one of a few ways. One is that they run out from the talus, find some nutritious summer plants nearby, and eat. The second way is that they run out, find some grass, chew it off, and haul it back into the rocks for it to dry. This is called haying. Then they have dry grass to use as insulation and food during the winter. They leave behind their little calling cards. In some cases, they return and eat those as well.

–B.G.–

Bob,
Thanks for the tip, that area has been on my to do list for a while.
My wife is rabbit mad. We have a dwarf lop as a house pet.

Dave

Dave,
Your wife needs a chinchilla. A single male gets quite social if you keep at it, they can begin to treat you as their "herd".

Steofan,

It's definitely rabbits above all else for her, she had 2 when she was young and also a hamster but she didn't really like it as much as the rabbits.
Charlie, our rabbit, is a neutered male and is very sociable, I'm sure he thinks we are funny looking rabbits with magic hands that occasionally produce small pieces of fruit. He is very aware of when we are watching him and will use the opportunity to 'flop' onto his side to beg for a rub.

Dave