Pikas are not familiar animals to the general population. They are small furry animals about the size of a hamster, and they are being endangered by rising temperatures. Pikas (Ochotona princeps) are indicator species, meaning that they serve as an indicator to the current state of the environment around them. So if the pika population is doing well, so is the environment, which is why it’s important to learn more about these animals to protect them. The question that was investigated was, how does temperature change affect the population of pikas that live in the Great Basin of the United States? The hypothesis that was tested was, If the temperature changes in the Great Basin, then the population of pikas living there declines. To investigate this question, research was conducted through different online databases to try and find any correlation between the pika population and a change in temperature. Results showed that there was, in fact, a correlation between the decline of the pika population and rising temperatures in the Great Basin. March 2000, which is the month of the pika’s natural breeding season, was the fourth warmest March since 1895 in the Great Basin (Gleason, N. O. A. A.) (Sanchez-Lugo. (n.d.)). The population of pikas in the area that year dropped from almost 2000 pikas to only 230 (Morrison, S., & amp; Hik, D. s.). Scientists believe that the temperature increase has caused the population to decline. This investigation includes additional data that supports the conclusion that there is a definite link between rising temperatures and the shrinking pika population.