Pika currently engaged in copyright battle with Pikachu

One of the cutest critters around, the pika is a small, hamster-like animal that is a cousin to the rabbit. The pika is also known as the "whistling hare" due to its high-pitched alarm call when diving into its burrow as well as its annoying rendition of the "Andy Griffith Show" theme.

The pika is a foraging animal who likes to stay close to the rocks that give it shelter and protection. It loves all kinds of vegetation, including many varieties of grass. During the summer it will gather as much grass as it can and then leave it in the sun to cure. When it's done it will build little haystacks under the rocks where it hides and then return to those haystacks for food during the winter.

The pika is sometimes described as the inspiration for Pikachu, the Pokemon character, but the cartoon character's name is actually a combination of pikapika, Japanese for electric sparkling, and chu, which means a mouse's squeak.