American pika
June 2010
If you go backpacking in the Sierra this summer you might be lucky enough to see and American pika. This small, herbivorous animal is adapted to the cold and lives in boulder piles at high elevations. During the summer, picas gather food which they dry for use in the winter.
Climate change is a serious threat to these adorable animals because they can die from overheating.
Despite scientific evidence that the pika is threatened by global warming, the California Fish and Game Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to protect this species when petitioned by the Center for Biological Diversity.
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