American Pika (Rocky Mtn subspecies) guarding its haystack

Description:

Based on its location, this is Ochotona princeps subsp. princeps, one of five subspecies (much better understood as a result of relatively recent genetic studies) of the American Pika which occurs solely in western North America. Subspecies princeps occurs in the northern Rocky Mountains of central British Columbia and Alberta, Idaho, Montana, western Wyoming, northeastern Nevada (Ruby Mtns), portions of Colorado (north of the Colorado River) and in the Wasatch range in Idaho and Utah. This location is in the southernmost portion of its range.Known also as Rock Rabbit due to its phylogeny and preferred living accommodations, these herbivores are the ultimate botanical collectors piling their diverse collections of stems, leaves and flowers into haystacks (see above - this pika has been very industrious!). This winter storage then provides nourishment during long, cold winter months during which they remain awake. Openings in talus slopes (as seen above) provide them with convenient front door access to their homes located adjacent to moist meadows that allow for quick, frequent shopping visits (they do not venture however far from the protection of the boulders, browsing usually only near the edges of meadows). They can even withstand fires under the boulders like these that allow them to very nicely regulate their body temperature in most weather extremes.It was thought that the species was restricted to high elevation areas (over 7500 ft. and usually higher) throughout their range however recent published studies (2012) document the occurrence of American Pikas (albeit a different subspecies) in southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada at much lower elevations (roughly 5400 ft. to 6500 ft.). As far as I am aware, subsp. princeps so far is not known from that low of an elevation. Four of the five subspecies occur in Utah. So in addition to subsp. princeps depicted here, we have saxatilis (La Sal Mtns), schisticeps (southwestern Utah) and uinta (Uinta Mtns in eastern Utah).All four of these taxonomic entities are of grave concern with very spotty distributions and do not have updated NatureServe or other rankings. These subspecies are completely now stranded in "mountain island" habitats and they typically do not move more than one kilometer away from their existing habitat. So they have no contact with one another, and they each now represent unique and distinct genotypes in their limited occupied ranges.Subsp. saxatilis is in a disjunct portion of the state and which appears to occupy by far the most limited overall range in Utah now faces the additional pressure of grazing by introduction and of non-native Rocky Mountain Goats. Research has already shown that pikas try to move away from areas that are grazed yet they will have no place to go (in addition to climate change problems). Subsp. schisticeps, the Great Basin subspecies, doesn't occur in the interior of the Great Basin within Utah (it has not for example been found in the Deep Creek Range) but only around the edges in the southwestern portion of the state. And in the last five to 10 years, it appears to have disappeared from locations where it was previously known in Cedar Breaks National Monument and Zion National Park.Subsp. princeps occupies a narrow and spotty range within Utah as well.This was an IUCN red list species of concern based in part on a 2003 study which showed serious declines in the Great Basin subspecies (subsp. schisticeps). Primary concerns for the species overall are climate change and habitat loss. Currently however the IUCN threat status has been lowered to "Least concern" and the NatureServe ranking for the species is a G5 ("secure"), although it does not appear that recent attempts have been made to rank the subspecies. Agencies should not rely on very old, out of date rankings that no longer reflect reality.Because of the earlier reports of decline in at least a part of its range, a Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) petition to list as a threatened species ultimately led to a US Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) 12-month finding in Feburary of 2010. In that finding the FWS acknowledged the rarity of the Great Basin subsp. schisticeps in at least part of its range, but after making torturous arguments felt that certain population segments could be lost without jeopardizing the existence of that subspecies, much less the species. And, due to the lack of demonstrated imminent threats and lack of population and other information generally across its range, declined to list the species in whole or in part under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That decision in this case was perhaps mostly logical (but with some reservations) given the legal requirements of the ESA. The CBD action however has raised awareness and significantly increased research activities.Researchers in a number of states (although not in Utah to my knowledge) are studying this species as a likely early indicator species of global warming. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources should be encouraging and carrying on this research as well but to my knowledge is instead more preoccupied with other more pressing matters (such as introducing exotic big game animals into our mountain ranges). The Utah DWR is also not considering each subspecies separately but is simply lumping all four subspecies together in its planning, and has done a poor job of educating Utahns about we have. We need baseline surveys to obtain population counts and much more in as much of its range as possible in order to understand what sort of stress changes in climate and other factors may be causing to ensure the survival of all of the various subspecies, as well as our own.Sept. 24, 2014, Brighton area, Salt Lake County, Utah, elev. 9,020 ft.