![]() ![]() ( Chapman and Flux, 1991 Fitzgerald, et al., 1994) They are most likely to die before they are 1 year old or after they are 5 years old. The longest American pikas have ever lived in the wild and in captivity was 7 years. ( Smith and Weston, 1990 Wolf, et al., 2007) They can become adult-sized when they are just 3 months old. American pikas grow very quickly compared to other hares, rabbits, and pikas. The babies are independent when they are 4 weeks old, right after they stop drinking their mother's milk. They stop hunting and go back to the nest for about 10 minutes every 2 hours. Mothers spend most of their time looking for food. They open their eyes for the first time when they are 9 days old. They are completely dependent on their mothers for the first 18 days. Newborns weigh 10 to 12 g and have totally visible teeth. Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male) 1 yearsīaby American pikas are born blind and without much hair.Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female).Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female) 347 days.Breeding season American pikas breed one month before snow-melt and once again following the birth of their first litter.How often does reproduction occur? American pikas breed twice yearly, during the same breeding season.gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate).Females only give milk to a second group of offspring if the first don't survive. They drink their mother's milk for 28 days, which uses up a lot of the mother's fat. Pups weigh 10 to 12 grams when they are born. They usually give birth in March at lower elevations, and in April or June at higher elevations. They start breeding 1 month before the snow melts and the young develop inside the body of their mother for about 30 days before they are born. ( Smith and Weston, 1990)Īmerican pikas usually breed in their second year of life. If there is more than one option for a mate, females may get to choose. They choose mates from territories located next-door. Range elevation sea level to 3000 m to 9842.52 ftĪmerican pikas form pairs of one male and one female to mate.These animals are found in the following types of habitat.( Beever and Smith, 2008 Chapman and Flux, 1991 Fitzgerald, et al., 1994) Farther south, they almost always live above 2,500 meters in elevation. Farther north, they are found from sea level up to 3,000 meters in elevation. ![]() They are most often found in cool, moist areas higher in elevation than trees can grow. ( Beever and Smith, 2008 Chapman and Flux, 1991 Fitzgerald, et al., 1994 Mains and Pigott, 2008 Smith and Weston, 1990 Wolf, et al., 2007)Īmerican pikas live in places with broken rocks and rock bits along the edge of mountain meadows. They live as far south as New Mexico and California, as far north as British Columbia, and as far east as Colorado. Average basal metabolic rate 0.932 W AnAgeĪmerican pikas live in the mountains in western North America.Average basal metabolic rate 1.53 cm3.O2/g/hr.( Chapman and Flux, 1991 Smith and Weston, 1990 Wolf, et al., 2007) Their skull is basically round but flat between the eyes, and their nose bone is thin. They even have fur on the bottoms of their feet, except for black pads at the ends of their toes. They have round ears which are covered in dark hair and have white edges. The fur on their bellies is off-white, rather than white like it is on collared pikas. The main fur color of American pikas changes each season, from grayish or cinnamon-brown in the summer to gray in the winter. They keep themselves warm by sitting out in the sun or other behaviors instead of from inside their bodies. They use energy quickly, so their metabolic rate is 1.53 cm^3 oxygen/hour. However, if their body temperature goes above 109.6☏, they can't survive. American pikas have a high body temperature, about 104.2☏. Their back paws have four toes and are 25 to 35 mm long. The weight in their back paws in held up by their toes. Their bodies have oval shapes, their ears are short, their whiskers are long, their arms and legs are short, and they don't have a visible tail. In some areas, males are a little bit bigger than females. American pikas are medium-sized for pikas, weighing 121 to 176 grams. ![]()
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