Gaoligong pika
Gaoligong pika | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Lagomorpha |
Family: | Ochotonidae |
Genus: | Ochotona |
Species: | O. gaoligongensis
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Binomial name | |
Ochotona gaoligongensis Wang, Gong & Duan, 1988
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Gaoligong pika range |
The Gaoligong pika (Ochotona gaoligongensis) is a species of
Evolution and classification
The family Ochotonidae includes over 30 different species
Groups
There are three families within the order Lagomorpha, the families Ochotonidae, Leporidae, and Prolagidae.[5] The group pikas, which belongs to the family Ochotonidae, consists of over thirty different pika species. Amongst these species, there is a division of subgroups and subgenera, including the subgroups of the northern pikas, shrub-steppe pikas, and the mountain pikas. These subgroups belong to individual and different subgenera, including the Pika, Ochotona, and Conothoa. The Gaoligong pika belongs to the subgenus Conothoa and subgroup of mountain pikas. The subgenus Conothoa and subgroup of mountain pikas also includes, but is not limited to:
- Forrest's pika Ochotona forresti
- Glover's pika Ochotona gloveri
- Himalayan pika Ochotona himalayana
- Large-eared pika Ochotona macrotis
All of these subgroups and subgenera share the same general physical characteristics of the family Ochotonidae, including the Gaoligong pika. However, there are several distinct physical attributions that set the Gaoligong pika apart from the other subgroups.
Characteristics
The Gaoligong pika shares a range of general physical characteristics as those of the family Ochotonidae. Some of the general characteristics include the physical attribution of their small body. Among the many diverse groups of pikas, the Gaoligong pika has an egg-shaped body relatively small in size, which can range from 70 to 300 g (2.5 to 10.6 oz) in weight.[6] They have prominent ears at the top of the head and share a common characteristic of no visible tail. One of the primary physical characteristics of the Gaoligong pika group is the display of a red-brown color crown around the neck and head of the pika, as well as a black shade of color in the back of the ears.[2] Often the size of head-body length in pikas reaches an average of 285 mm (6- 10 inches in length), with ears around greater than 40 mm.[6] Additionally, the Gaoligong pika has a palatal-incisive foramen that is violin-shaped. Other physical characteristics include:
- Two upper premolars[6]
- Large bullae
- Lack of vacuities at the anterior end of frontal bones
- Fattened skull profile
- Broad condylar process of the mandible[7]
Most often the physical characteristics of the Pika species are compared to the family Leporidae, which includes rabbits and hares. The comparisons of the family Ochotonidae with those of the family Leporidae are due to the very similar physical characteristics shared by Pikas, rabbits and hares. However, there is a distinction between each, including size of the body and skeletal structure of each family, as well as distinctive characteristics in the length of the ears. A skeletal distinction can be seen in the Gaoligong Pika which lacks a supraorbital process in the skull skeletal feature and have a long and broad posterior nasal bone.[2]
Habitat and distribution
China is home to the Ochotona gaoligongensis, Gaoligong Pika, where it lives in a meadow-like habitat. Its locality includes, Gaoligong Mountains,[7] located northwest of the Yunnan Province, China,[8] where their name derives. Pikas primarily live in habitats which consist of leaves and grass.[9] They are usually found in mountain terrains at high altitudes and in talus slopes and rock boulders. The Gaoligong Pika can be found at an elevation of about 2,950 m (9,680 ft)[8] in the rocky and talus habitat of Mount Gaoligong. Primarily, due to this type of habitat of the Gaoligong pikas, there is a limited amount of information about their group. Within the family Ochotonidae however, there is a total of 24 species of pikas found also in China, generally in steppe and alpine environments. However, Ochotonids were once also found in a range of other locations, such as Asia, Europe, North America and northern Africa. The locations of Ochotonids have changed over the course of time and are now found primarily in Asia and North America.
It is a rarely found, one of the six pika species endemic to central China, with no true population studies.[10][a]
Behavior
Currently the behavior of Gaoligong pikas is unknown, however it has been compared to the Ochotona forresti, Forrest's pika.[11] The absences of information known about Gaoligong Pikas may be due to the range of access their habitat has to offer. The behavior of the Gaoligong Pika shares similar general behavioral traits of the pika family, including characteristics from the Asian meadow-dwelling Pika species. The meadow-dwelling species of pikas displays more social behavior amongst members of the same species group and their families. Unlike the Asian meadow-dwelling species, some pikas, such as the northern American pika, are typically very defensive in regards to their habitat and communicate through vocal projections[12] in a whistle-like manner. They are often found in a solitary state, except during mating periods.[13] Because of the importance of keeping their habitat defended against other Pikas and predators, when one species of Pika encounters another or the same, it often leads to aggressive interactions. There is great diversity between the behaviors of some groups of Pikas than others. Each group of pikas ultimately behaves depending on the location and environmental factors that play into role in the geographical habitat they are located at. Generally Pikas are most active during the morning and late afternoon. They follow a diurnal pattern within their system, which makes them more energy efficient during some periods of the day.[14] Additionally, Pikas do not hibernate during the winter, making them highly dependent on environmental and habitat factors.[9] During the winter time, Pikas must use tunnels as means of targeting food during those periods of the seasons.[15] Pikas store sun-dried summer harvest plants within the tunnels. This brings the mortality rate of the pika species higher than other animal species that do not hibernate during the winter season, due to the dependence of habitat and environmental factors for the supply of food.
Conservation
Information available about the Gaoligong pika group is restrictive and has therefore not been assigned to a threat category under
Reproduction
There is no information in regards to the reproduction phase of the Gaoligong Pika group, due to the accessibility of their habitat, in order to be observed and studied further. However, it is considered to presumably follow similar reproductive characteristics of the family Ochotonidae. The family Ochotonidae has a
See also
References
Notes
- Ochotona nigritia).[10]
- ^ Smith, A.T. & Johnston, C.H. (2008). "Ochotona gaoligongensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2009. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of data deficient.
- ^ ISBN 9781400834112.
- ISBN 9783540724469.
- ^ PMID 19501176.
- ^ a b c d Hanley, Ray. "Order Lagomorpha". Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ ISBN 9783540724469.
- ^ ISBN 9782831700199.
- ^ ISBN 9780801882210. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ a b "Pika" (PDF). Teton Science Schools. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ^ a b Alves, Ferrand & Hacklände 2008, p. 308.
- ISBN 2831700191. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ Streubel, D. "Order: Lagomorpha (Pikas, Hares, and Rabbits)". Retrieved October 11, 2014.
- ^ a b Reese, A. "Ochotonidae". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
- ISBN 9783540724469.
- ^ Smith. "American Pika (Ochotona princeps)" (PDF). Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ^ Smith, A.T.; Johnston, C.H. "Ochotona gaoligongensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ^ "Pika Reproduction and Early Life". Science Live. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ISBN 9780801417535.
Bibliography
- Alves, Paulo C.; Ferrand, Nuno; Hacklände, Klaus, eds. (2008). Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation. ISBN 978-3-540-72446-9.