Pikas have a very high Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (Calkings 2012) and with their body temp is 40 Celsius which is only a few degrees below their lethal thermal limit (Erb 2011) and have been shown to die after being exposed to 28 Celsius for 2 hours (MacArthur 1973).
Pikas do not hibernate (Calkins 2012, Ray 2010), but they do enter an energy saving state when temperatures are lower than 21 Celsius (MacArthur 1973).
On summer days the heat can often approach the Pikas thermal max, and the Pikas start modifying its behavior by not foraging (Beever) for food and instead retreating to the cooler recesses of the rocky talus that they inhabit. This is very problematic to their ability to survive the winter because the less days they have to gather vegetation the less likely they will be able to store enough food to survive the winter.
Pikas do not hibernate (Calkins 2012, Ray 2010), but they do enter an energy saving state when temperatures are lower than 21 Celsius (MacArthur 1973).
On summer days the heat can often approach the Pikas thermal max, and the Pikas start modifying its behavior by not foraging (Beever) for food and instead retreating to the cooler recesses of the rocky talus that they inhabit. This is very problematic to their ability to survive the winter because the less days they have to gather vegetation the less likely they will be able to store enough food to survive the winter.
I think that you should add an image of some sort to this page.
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