MACLAREN RIVER — Not many Alaskans have actually seen a pika. However, if one should wander into the mountains, summer or winter, their sharp squeak is distinctive.
On Wednesday morning, I was traveling by dog team along the Denali Highway near Milepost 34 when I was greeted unexpectedly by the warning cry of a little "rock rabbit."
Rock rabbits, really collared pikas, are relatively common in Alaska. They do not hibernate, but stay active all winter under the snow in boulder fields. There is terrific rock slide on the Denali, bordering the highway, where one can spot the little critters in the summer and hear them during winter months. They remain extremely active all winter but do not emerge from under the snowpack. Though I have spotted many pikas, I have never seen a pika track.
Pikas inhabit their rock fields exclusively during the short summer months, rarely moving more than 100 feet from their headquarters. The rock slides are critical for their survival, providing cover from predators and relatively stable summer climate. Rock rabbits prefer lower temperatures and need a good snowpack during the winter for insulation.
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Pikas, sometimes referred to as "coneys," also use rocks to spread out their hay to dry. Grass and leaves provide most of pikas' winter feed, and they spend almost all of their daylight hours gathering grasses in preparation for the colder months. Leafy grasses are preferred.
However, the key to pika survival is that rock pile. They will store anything available — feces of ground squirrels, mushrooms and twigs, for instance. Pikas living in nunataks (rock piles in the middle of glaciers) have been found to cache the bodies of songbirds that presumably died during migration. Any protein source will do in a pinch!
Food and shelter runs along an extremely fine line for animals living in marginal climates or ranges, but the pika has developed several idiosyncrasies to deal with its habitat. Breeding times are governed to a large degree by snowmelt. An early thaw provides more time to cache hay, and young animals can use extra time to put up their own hay piles.
Two or three young are born after a monthlong gestation period. Hairless and blind, they are nest-bound for three weeks after birth. Youngsters grow fast and within six weeks are adult size. They move away quickly and set up on their own. Long cross-country trips are not for them; they rarely are more than 1,000 feet from where they were born.
The home range of an adult rock rabbit is typically about a hundred feet. They will have a sleeping area in a rock niche plus two or three hay piles. One might imagine they know their home quite well. Pikas have no defense against their main predator, ermines, and thus rely on cracks in the rocks and good cover. When you weigh only 5 ounces and have no canines, protecting yourself can be problematic.
There are indications the pika population is declining in much of its home range. Climate change and the recent lack of snowpack are both thought to be factors. Personally, I have observed a population decline in some localized areas, but keep in mind that this species' populations ebbs and flows naturally. A few years from now, given good snow, the little guys may be everywhere.
The rock pile located at Mile 34 of the Denali Highway is definitely one of the best locations for a quick pika fix. Summer viewing at that location is excellent. There are normally a half-dozen or so pikas that regard that particular talus slope as home. Their call has a certain ventriloquist quality to it, so it may be a bit after hearing them that you actually spot one.
Their gray color blends well with the habitat, so good binoculars are a plus. This winter, should you happen to snowmachine along the Denali Highway, it is worth shutting down to listen. Rarely will it be longer than a few minutes before you are rewarded with that telltale squeak.
John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.