Elisa says: The American Pika [is] a point of importance. Currently, they inhabit the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains and are one of the "canaries in a coal mine" for climate change. They are very temperature sensitive and require temps lower than 77 degrees F (25 C). As the globe warms, pika habitat will shrink and possibly disappear. This pika, taken on Mt. Evans, was busy gathering flowers and other vegetation for the coming winter.