Extinction Rates For Great Basin Pika Populations Up 500% In Decade - Half Of Losses Post-1999

[hatrack]

The last decade has not been a good one for the American pika (Ochotona princeps) according to a new study in Global Change Biology. Over the past ten years extinction rates have increased by nearly five times for pika populations in the Great Basin region of the US. Examining extinctions of pike populations in the region over the past 110 years, researchers found that nearly half of the extinction events occurred since 1999.

American pikas, small mammals related to rabbits and hares, inhabit cool montane regions in the western US and are known to be acutely sensitive to high temperatures. If pikas are unable to seek shelter, hot temperatures can lead to mortality. However, a few subspecies of pika are known to survive in warmer and lower altitudes. For most, though, climate change is likely wiping out some populations while pushing others to seek higher altitudes. The researchers found that movement up to higher altitudes had increased by 11-fold in the past decade with the range having moved up an average of 145 meters, or the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Egypt's tallest. During the 20th Century the range moved up about 13 meters per decade.

Unlike many species, climate change appears to be the only threat to pikas survival, since the mammals are not experiencing habitat loss or degradation and are not hunted. This allows researchers a unique view of how changing climate is impacting the world's wildlife.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0421-hance_pikas.html

[lumberjack_jeff]

1. A Pika has taken up intermittent residence in our cabin. n/t

[zeaper]

2. Those Pika certainly are cute little critters.

They make neat noises too kinda like “Hey, Hey” in a squeaky voice.

I think they are a perfect poster child for global warming (or climate change or whatever it is these days). They probably would be used to promote climate alarmism a lot more except most people have never seen one.

Too bad this article does not come up with any details, like what areas these critters were researched in. Got to wonder how anyone got 110 years of data on them-I’m calling BS on that.

I any case I envy this researcher, I would love to get someone to pay me to back pack all summer!