Ili pika
The Ili Pika ( Ochotona iliensis ) is a mammal of the family of pikas among lagomorphs. The distribution area is limited to the Tian Shan in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
Features
The Ili pika pika is a relatively large with big ears and long hind legs. It reaches a body length of 20.3 to 20.4 inches and a body weight of 217-250 grams. The hind feet have a length of 42-43 mm, the ears measure 36-37 millimeters. The back fur is light brown, the head and neck, the way a clear red-brown mottling on. The ears are very hairy and have a reddish-brown shading, borders.
The skull is large, the incisor window and the palate window into each other and form a single pear- shaped window.
Dissemination
The Ili pika is endemic known in the People's Republic of China and only from the Tian Shan in Xinjiang province; he is named after its place of discovery in the province of Ili. Within the very limited area, the distribution is highly fragmented. Surveys from 2005 have found a significant decline of the species in the fields, in 57 % of the formerly populated regions is no longer found the way.
The Ili pika lives on scree rock faces and steep slopes at altitudes of 2800-4100 meters.
Way of life
Over the life of this pikas are very few information. It is largely diurnal, but may be the road at night and feeds on generalist plants which he stores in the form of bales.
The animals are territorial and live in low-density, a vocal communication between the animals does not occur. In contrast to other species, this type propagates rare. It produces only one or two litters per year, the number of pups per litter is unknown.
System
The Ili pika was assigned as an independent species the pikas ( genus Ochotona ), sub-species are not known The first description was in the Chinese language by WD Li and Y. Ma Acta Zoologica Sinica in the year 1986.
Lie to the relationship with other species no data due to the red-brown color, a closer relationship with Ochotona erythrotis and Ochotona rutila is assumed. Wilson & Reeder 2005 place the species in the subgenus Conothoa and take a potential relationship with Ochotona roylei and Ochotona macrotis on.
Threats and conservation
The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) due to its very limited distribution area and the sharp decline in populations as threatened ( endangered ). At the beginning of the 1990s the total population was estimated at about 2,000 animals. In several regions, there was a sharp decline in population numbers and in 57 % of the areas where the species lived 20 years ago, they did not come before 2005. It is recorded accordingly in China on the Red List as an endangered species.
The reasons for the decline are not known, but it is assumed that they are due to an increasing grazing pressure in the circulation areas and the effects of global pollution and global warming. Due to the small population size, limited junior numbers and the limited adaptability of the species to have little chance of improving the stock situation.