Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the American pika -- a hamster-sized mammal of the West that some worry is threatened by global warming -- may need federal protections.
The agency said Wednesday that environmentalists' petition to list the pika under the Endangered Species Act contained enough information to take a closer look. Federal officials will now launch a thorough review of the species and submit findings by Feb. 1, 2010.
The pika mostly dwells in high, rocky mountain slopes in 10 Western states. As the West warms, scientists say some pikas have tried to move upslope to find cooler refuges but have run out of room.
If it's eventually listed, the pika could be the first species in the lower 48 states to get protections primarily because of threats of climate change.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
