16: Songs of the Pika and Others at the Bighorn Medicine Wheel

Mountain Pika, small mountain rodents thought to be close genetic relatives of the rabbit, live in rock outcroppings in the Bighorn Mountains. Extremely susceptible to climate change, dust, development, and other pressures, the mountain Pika are fast overtaking the polar bear as the symbol for species extinction from runaway pressures in the Anthropocene. Often bearing only one or two offspring, their numbers are hard to replenish once logging roads or mountain towns have destroyed their habitat. Additionally, some species only travel one-half mile in their lifetimes, making recovery slow when their populations are stressed. Most live above tree lines and prefer cold quiet areas. They are gatherers of wildflowers and grasses, and build haystacks within their rocky burrows. Often, the outside of their burrows look decorated, as they carefully dry wildflowers and grasses in preparation to stack so mold does not harm their winter food supply.