"I'm a pika. I'm a bit bigger than a mouse, but I'm related to rabbits, not mice. I live in talus slopes. Sometimes you can hear my call - it's a high piercing whistle. I have special alarm calls to warn my pika community of predators."

Pikas eat grass and plants. To store food for the winter, they chew off plant stems and lay them out to dry. As they add more plants to the pile it makes a "haystack." Pikas move dry haystacks into their dens deep among the rocks. Since pikas don't hibernate, they store up haystacks of food to eat during the winter.

Pikas live year round in this high-elevation habitat. Where do pikas sleep? Underneath the talus rocks, pikas build dens and passages. During the summer, the rocks provide shade from the intense sun. In the winter, a thick blanket of snow over the rocks keeps the temperature in their tunnels above freezing.

Walking across talus fields is hard for people because the rocks move easily under their feet. But, pikas love the talus rocks. Guess why?

If you answered "cover," you're right. They can move quickly over and through the rocks. Much more quickly than walking predators like weasels and coyotes. Hawks would love to invite a pika to lunch - with the pika being the main course! But talus provides cover and hawks know it's not smart to crash land in rocks.