This tiny little mammal makes its home in the rocky crevices of the tundra. It is sometimes known as a cony. It has tiny rounded ears and the mere vestige of a tail. Although it looks like a rodent, it is more closely related to its cousins, the rabbits and hares. Only seven or eight inches in length, its high-pitched chirp can be heard as it gathers grasses into mounds on the sunny rocks and then stores them for consumption during the winter. Pikas are active in the winter beneath the snow, subsisting on this stored hay.

Pikas begin breeding in late March or April.  The gestation period is approximately thirty days and two to four young are born each weighing less than half an ounce. Longevity is between four and seven years.