Alpine pika

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Alpine pika
In the Saylyugem Mountains in Mongolia

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Ochotonidae
Genus: Ochotona
Species:
O. alpina
Binomial name
Ochotona alpina
(Pallas, 1773)
Subspecies[2]
  • O. a. alpina Pallas, 1773
  • O. a. changaica Ognev, 1940
  • O. a. cinereofusca Schrenk, 1858
  • O. a. sushkini Thomas, 1924
Alpine pika range
Synonyms[2]
  • Ochotona ater Eversmann, 1842
  • Ochotona nitida Hollister, 1912
  • Ochotona scorodumovi Skalon, 1935

The alpine pika (Ochotona alpina) is a species of small

IUCN Red List of Endangered Species
.

Taxonomy

German

Ochotonidae, which consists of small mammals that have short ears, forelimbs very slightly longer than hindlimbs, and no external tail.[4] There are four recognised subspecies: O. a. alpina (Pallas, 1773), O. a. cinereofusca (Schrenk, 1858), O. a. sushkini (Thomas, 1924), and O. a. changaica (Ognev, 1940).[2]

The

glaciation, the ancestors of the alpine pika were restricted to the borders of the Sayan and Altai glaciers, as well as the periglacial region of the major North Asiatic glaciation.[6] The American pika and the collared pika were also included as subspecies of the alpine pika, by A.I. Argyropulo in 1948, A.A. Gureev in 1964, and G.B. Corbet in 1968. However, in 1981, M.L. Weston found out that they were morphologically different from the alpine pika. In 1986, Corbet and J.E. Hill treated them as separate species.[5] O. a. sushkini was formerly considered a subspecies of the Pallas's pika, but is now a subspecies of the alpine pika. The Helan Shan pika and the Hoffmann's pika were formerly included as a subspecies of the alpine pika, but are now considered an independent species based on their chromosome number, morphology, and bioacoustic behaviour.[2][7][8]

Description

The alpine pika measures 152 to 235 mm (6.0 to 9.3 in) in length, has long rounded ears ranging from 17 to 26 mm (0.67 to 1.02 in) in length, and weighs 226 to 360 g (8.0 to 12.7 oz).

cheek bone.[9][5]

The summer pelage of different subspecies varies drastically but is generally dark or cinnamon brown. The back is dull, yellowish, ochre-grey in colour, with dark brown to black tips of the hairs. The

incisor teeth where blood vessels and nerves pass) are round, small, and are detached from the palatine foramen.[9][5]

Despite geographic and seasonal variation, in sympatric zones, the adult alpine pika is larger than the adult northern pika by body measurements, and is usually more dull coloured.[5]

Distribution and habitat

The alpine pika inhabits mountainous areas in western Mongolia bordering the

Hexi Zoulang-Gansu border, on the Helan Mountains. O. a. cinereofusca is found in Heilongjiang and Russia, while O. a. nitida is found in northern Xinjiang, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.[5]

The animal tends to be found in rocky habitats.

valley shoulders, accumulated due to periodic rockfall from adjacent cliff faces) with larger stones and rocky areas although it does not inhabit swampy montane tundra or talus lacking vegetation. It may also live in burrows under tree roots or in old moss-scree.[citation needed
]

The alpine pika's habitat is separated from that of the northern pika by altitude or by microhabitat in their zone of sympatry, and it lives at both higher and lower altitudes than the northern pika. It is found at heights of 400 to 2,500 m (1,300 to 8,200 ft) above sea level in the Altai Mountains, and above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in China.[1][5]

In the early 1970s, an unexplained decline in the alpine pika population occurred throughout the western Sayan Mountains. Although in 1977 Khlebnikov suggested it was due to an epidemic, it was difficult to ascertain if such a large territory had been affected all at once. By 1986 or 1987, a few localities that had high alpine pika population densities 16 to 17 years earlier became devoid of the species, due to its low reproductive rate and the insular nature of its habitat.[5]

Behaviour and ecology

Illustration by Gustav Mützel

The alpine pika is a generalist herbivore, mainly foraging for mosses, trees branches, pine nuts, and plant stems, which it gathers during the summer to create haypiles for use in winter.

nitrophilic vegetation (vegetation rich in nitrogen).[5]

The species lives in families, with population densities of 10 to 12 individuals per hectare.[9] Family feeding territories do not overlap with each other, and mostly remain the same each year; however, the home territories of different family groups are larger and do overlap with each other. Both males and females have been observed to mark corners of stones mostly located near the center of their home territory, from April to December, by rubbing their neck glands against them.

The female's fecundity is low, as with other pikas inhabiting talus piles, and the size of litters decreases as the elevation increases. A.F. Potapkina observed a seasonal increase in the number of offspring per litter. On average, the female of the western Altai Mountains produces two litters, while in the northwestern Altai and the western Sayan Mountains she produces 2.7 litters—with 10% producing up to three litters in the latter case. In 1984, G.I. Makushin and G.I. Orlov determined the average annual mortality rate of the alpine pika to be 53% for populations living in forests and 41% for those living in the alpine zones—most of them aged between one and three years. The annual population density fluctuations of most populations were insignificant.[5]

Vocalizations

The alpine pika can emit three different vocalizations. The long call is heard during the mating season from only the subspecies O. a. alpina, O. a. changaica, and O. a. nitida. The short call is a harsh, sharp whistle that is easily distinguishable from the short high-pitched whistle of the northern pika. The alarm call is given out immediately any danger from predators or humans is perceived, and can travel greater distances than the calls of most other pika species.[5][9]

Parasites

Internal parasites of the alpine pika include many

worm species, such as Schizorchis altaica, Cephaluris andrejevi, Heligmosomum dubinini, and Eugenuris schumakovitschi.[11][12] Schizorchis altaica was found in individuals inhabiting the southern Altai mountains,[13] and Heligmosomum dubinini in those inhabiting the Sayan and Altai mountains.[12]

Status and conservation

Since 1996, the alpine pika has been rated a species of

IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. This is because it is widespread, with no known population decline. Despite the lack of data relating to its current population state, it is thought to have a stable trend, with some isolated populations exhibiting some variation. It has been regionally red-listed in China and Mongolia as a species of least concern, and about 12% of its population in Mongolia is found in protected areas.[2][1]

References

Notes

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41255A45182115.en
    . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^
    OCLC 62265494
    .
  3. ^ Pallas 1773.
  4. ^ Armstrong, Fitzgerald & Meaney 2010, p. 260.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Chapman & Flux 1990, p. 21.
  6. ISSN 0008-7114
    .
  7. S2CID 21980827
    .
  8. ^ Wilson & Reeder 2005, p. 189.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-1400834112
    .
  10. ^ Alves, Ferrand & Hacklände 2008, p. 91.
  11. ^ Spasski, A. A.; Rizhikov, K. M. (1951). "Helminths of Ochotona alpina Pall, in the Baikal region". Trudy Gel'mintologicheskoi Laboratorii. Akademiya Nauk SSSR. 5: 34–41.
  12. ^ a b Gvozdev, E. V. (1967). "New nematodes from Ochotona alpina Pall". Helminthologia. 7: 273–278.
  13. ^ Gvozdev, E. V. (1951). "A new species of tapeworm belonging to the family Anoplocephalidae from Ochotona alpina". Trudy Gel'mintologicheskoi Laboratorii Akademiya Nauk SSSR. 5: 143–145.

Bibliography

Further reading
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