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Currently, the one of the most popular cartoon characters is named Pikachu. Most people believe that this is an entirely fictitious character, but there is an actual animal called the pika. It is a member of the Ochotonidae family. This family has a single living genus, which, for the most part are indigenous to cold climates mostly in Asia North America and parts of eastern Europe. These animals are sometimes known as the whistling hare, because of a high-pitched warning cry sent when diving for their burrows. Other names for the pikas are mouse hairs, rock rabbits, haymakers and conies.
Resembling a guinea pig, the pika is slightly smaller than most hares. They have short broad ears, and all four of their limbs are nearly equal in length. Their head is rather big, and their tails are tiny, hidden by fur. They have 26 teeth, including six incisors, the upper ones being grooved in the front, ten premolars, and ten molars. The pikas tend to live in large groups, working hard during the growing seasons to collect and store food for the winter, as they are not known to hibernate. During the coldest months, the animal only emerges from its burrow to feed from its store of food. The pikas reproductive period usually runs from spring until the first snow. Most female pikas have a litter of four. The babies from this litter are ready to live on their own in the group within two weeks, and usually the mother pika goes on to have at least one and possibly two more litters before the first snowfall.
The Asian pika, or Ochotona pusilla, live in the steppes and is the only species among all the Ochodonitae which is native to the European continent. They measure 7 to 7 1/2 inches in length. Their fur is dark gray, with black ears edged in white. Though the Asian pika has a short, stubby body, they can be very graceful. After gathering its food for the winter months, the pika stores them in a haystack formation they make in rocky ravines or depressions in the ground. Its haystack can often reach up to 3 feet in height. Then it digs a burrow that runs from the haystack to the nest, which it uses to transport food after the snows fall. Most of this work is done under cover of clouds or darkness, sleeping during the day.
The American pika, or Ochotona princeps, is native to the western mountains of America. It is slightly larger than the Asian pika measuring about 10 inches in length. The distinguishing features of this pika are its big snout and short, broad ears. These ears are kept in constant movement to pick up the slightest sound. The color of its pelage, or fur, varies depending on where its environment, ranging from gray to reddish to ochre with light underparts. The American pika, also known as cony, is an excellent runner and jumper, also gathering and storing leaves for the winter. However, unlike its Asian counterpart, most of its gathering is done during the day. It first dries and cures the grasses it gathers in the sun, then storing it in fissures in the rocks near its nest.
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