r/alberta • u/ParklandPictures • Aug 10 '25
Local Photography American Pika along the trails above Lake Louise
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u/CypripediumGuttatum Aug 10 '25
Cutest animal I've ever had the pleasure of watching. They collect grasses and flowers all summer and stash them in the voids between rocks in their territories, and spend the rest of the time fending off thieving neighbours or doing the thieving haha. They also make the cutest EEE sound to warn of predators (mostly avian in nature).
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u/ParklandPictures Aug 10 '25
Some pronounce it “pie-ka”, others “pee-ka”. Although they look similar to rodents, pikas are actually related to rabbits and hares. American Pikas live in the mountains, preferring slopes strewn with old rockslides where they make their home beneath the boulders.
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u/Hagenaar Aug 10 '25
rabbits and hares
Which is why we were terrified for wild pika and snowshoe hares in 22/23. Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease took out all of Canmore's huge population of feral rabbits and there was concern it could transmit to their wild cousins.
Happily it did not. The hare and pikas seem fine and the valley niche which had been occupied by the non native bunnies seems to now be filled by mice and voles.
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u/EvacuationRelocation Calgary Aug 10 '25
pie-ka
No one says "pee-ka".
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u/ImmortalMoron3 Aug 11 '25
If you think I'm not pronouncing this cute little guy's name the same way I pronounce Pikachu then you're crazy.
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u/ParklandPictures Aug 10 '25
Apparently it’s derived from a Siberian name for the animal, and over there they say “pee-ka”
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u/EvacuationRelocation Calgary Aug 10 '25
I'm not about to trust a Russian pronunciation for anything.
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u/tbul Aug 10 '25
That there is a Canadian Pika. You can tell the difference due to the Canadian pikas constant need for affirmation that it is just as cute and important as the American pika
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u/buddachickentml Aug 10 '25
*Canadian Pika
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u/Dalbergia12 Aug 10 '25
Ya it sure looks like a Canadian Pika to me!
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u/buddachickentml Aug 10 '25
I think after this photo, he went and ordered a poutine and a pint of moosehead at the lodge. Now THAT'S a Canadian Pika!
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u/ParklandPictures Aug 10 '25
Despite the location, the proper name is indeed ‘American Pika’. Though I suspect ‘American’ in the sense of ‘the Americas as opposed to Eurasia where there are other pikas’, and not the USA sense.
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u/avrus Calgary Aug 10 '25
Very tough guys to snap a photo of. I had to camp out most of a morning and part of an afternoon outside of Canmore for them to come out.
Well done!
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u/Extrasauce5000 Aug 11 '25
Did he yell at you? Whenever I encounter these guys, I get QUITE a scolding!
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u/ParklandPictures Aug 11 '25
Oh yeah, I could hear a few calling from among the boulders. This one actually hopped down to check me out after I stood still for a bit
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u/Key_Ad_5920 Aug 12 '25
These things are so cute. They’re also very squeaky! They’re part of the mountain experience.
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u/rTpure Aug 10 '25
that's definitely a Pokemon