pika

Who knew that the tiny American pika is headed toward extinction? In fact, who knew that there was such a being? Reuters knew, that’s who. If no one else knew, does it matter? This little guy lives in British Columbia, so he may be safe from extinction. But then again, who knows?

Reuters reports that “Human activity and climate change may be pushing the tiny American pika toward extinction”, which probably excludes the Canadian pikas, who are still happily living and reproducing high atop the pristine peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Seems the American varmints have been moving higher and higher up the American Rockies to escape the progress of American civilization, and now that they are at the tops of the ziggurats, they find no place else to go. As Reuters explains: “They don’t have much up-slope habitat left.” Reuters does not explain why they cannot go “down-slope” on the other side. If it is something embedded into their DNA - such as the “never descend gene”, then perhaps these cute little rodents were doomed from the beginning of their existence.

And … speaking of their existence, Reuters claims they have been living in these same mountains for 40,000 years. That is quite a span of time! Perhaps now, the jig is up for these mousy Methuselahs. However, claims are being made that the pikas, are actually early detection systems for global warming, and that we need them to tell us what’s a-happening in that regard. But just how convenient a system are they for mankind, when they are camped out at the very tops of the highest mountain peaks? By the time we get up there to gather their latest message … it may be too late for us all!

pika-2, image originally uploaded by Scrambler27.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Human activity and climate change may be pushing the tiny American pika toward extinction in the mountains of western North America, according to research published on Thursday.

The small rabbit-like mammals live in rock-strewn slopes but are gradually being pushed to higher elevations and are running out of places to live, archeologist Donald Grayson reports in the current issue of the Journal of Biogeography.

“Human influences have combined with factors such as climate change operating over longer time scales to produce the diminished distribution of pikas in the Great Basin today,” Grayson said.

Seven of 25 historically described populations of pikas in the Great Basin — the area between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains — appear to have become extinct by the end of the 20th century, Grayson said.

Among the intrusions that appear to imperil the pikas are roads built close to their habitat and pressure from grazing livestock, Grayson said.

He examined 57 archeological sites dating as far back as 40,000 years, as well as unpublished studies by other researchers, finding that the tiny mammals have been pushed higher over the years.

“The Great Basin pika is totally isolated on separated mountain ranges and there is no way one of these populations can get to another,” Grayson said in a statement. “They don’t have much up-slope habitat left.”

Pikas, which are very sensitive to high temperatures, are considered to be one of the best early warning systems for detecting global warming in the western United States, the journal reported.