The unusual habits of Pikas - those cute little creatures who call the Grand Mesa home
Whatcha gonna do with all that poo? Why do pikas collect marmot scat?

Pikas and Marmots are two iconic alpine mammals found across Colorado’s high country, including on the Grand Mesa. Although the two species live in the same rocky habitats and often eat the same plants, we still don’t know how they interact with each other. Marmots sometimes steal from pika winter food stores, which could mean they compete. But a plot twist is that pikas sometimes collect and store marmot scat in these piles, and nobody is quite sure why.

Join local pika biologist Dr. Johanna “Pika Jo” Varner on an exploration of this exciting and unusual battle of the species. She’ll explain how pikas and marmots use different strategies to survive in some of Colorado’s harshest environments, explore what we know about potential interactions between these species, and share some new results about why pikas might keep so much crap around for the winter.

Dr. Johanna “Pika Jo” Varner is a pika biologist from Grand Junction. During the school year, she teaches at CMU, but during the summer, she can be found in the mountains looking for pikas, placing temperature sensors, and collecting scat samples to analyze for stress. Before she was a pika biologist, Dr. Varner was a biomedical engineer, a baker, and a blueberry farmer. She also dabbles in homebrewing from time to time. But she likes studying pikas best because they are adorable and live in beautiful places.

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Get Ready for a night of learning, laughter, and great conversations at Knowledge on Tap GJ, where knowledge flows as freely as the drinks!

Knowledge on Tap GJ is a monthly lecture series hosted on the back patio at Base Camp Beer Works - GJ. Generous presenters with a variety of topics will expand your knowledge while proceeds from your tickets go towards CMU scholarships.