A few burrowing species are native to open steppe land. Most species live on rocky mountainsides, where numerous crevices are available for their shelter, although some pikas also construct crude burrows. Pikas are native to cold climates in Asia and North America. Habitat Collared pika on Hatcher Pass, Alaska The two species found in North America are the American pika, found primarily in the mountains of the western United States and far southwestern Canada, and the collared pika of northern British Columbia, the Yukon, western Northwest Territories and Alaska. Another species, the Sardinian pika, belonging to the separate genus Prolagus, has become extinct within the last 2000 years owing to human activity. Only one genus, Ochotona ( / ɒ k ə ˈ t oʊ n ə/ or / ɒ tʃ ə ˈ t oʊ n ə/), is extant within the family, covering 37 species, though many fossil genera are known. It is used for any member of the Ochotonidae ( / ɒ k ə t oʊ n ɪ d eɪ/), a family within the order of lagomorphs which also includes the Leporidae (rabbits and hares). The name "pika" appears to be derived from the Tungus pika, and the scientific name Ochotona is derived from the Mongolian word ogotno, оготно, which means pika. The pika is also known as the whistling hare because of its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow.
In the autumn they pull hay, soft twigs, and other stores of food into their burrows to eat during the long, cold winter. Pikas prefer rocky slopes and graze on a range of plants, primarily grasses, flowers, and young stems. The large-eared pika of the Himalayas and nearby mountains lives at elevations of more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft). With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative, the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears. A pika is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal native to Asia and North America.
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