Royle's pika

A Royle's pika.

Scientific name: Ochotona roylei

Many pika species spend warmer periods harvesting a stockpile of flowers, grasses and mosses. This ensures they have enough plants stored away when there is less food aroundor when snow-covered ground makes it difficult to access.

The preferred food of the Royle’s pika grows best with high rainfall and low temperatures. Climate change is predicted to cause a shortage of these plants, making it harder for pikas to find food and survive.

Amazing ability: Gathering plants for when food is scarce

Where to find them: Nibbling plants in the forests or mountainsides of the Himalayas