Helan Shan pika facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Helan Shan pika |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Ochotonidae |
| Genus: | Ochotona |
| Species: |
O. argentata
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| Binomial name | |
| Ochotona argentata Howell, 1928
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| Helan Shan pika range | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ochotona helanshanensis Zheng, 1987 (found in Wang 1990) |
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The Helan Shan pika, also called the silver pika, is a small furry animal. It belongs to the pika family, which are related to rabbits. This pika lives only in a tiny part of China. You can find it in the Helan Mountains. Scientists say it is an "Endangered" species. This means it is at high risk of disappearing forever.
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What Does the Helan Shan Pika Look Like?
The Helan Shan pika has soft, grayish-brown fur. Its fur is long and thick. It is related to rabbits and hares. But unlike them, all its legs are about the same length. This pika has small, round ears. Its feet are covered with fur. It grows to be about 22 cm (9 in) long. That's about the length of a ruler!
Where Do Helan Shan Pikas Live?
The Helan Shan pika lives only in the Helan Mountains. These mountains are in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region of China. The mountains are between two deserts. To the east is the semi-dry Ordos Desert. To the west is the Badain Jaran Desert.
Helan Shan Pika's Home
The higher parts of the mountains have coniferous forests. These forests are full of dragon spruce trees. Below them, you can find birch and poplar trees. On open, sunny slopes, there are many shrubs. These include the Manchu rose and Caragana plants. You might also see the Gansu elm and hazel-hornbeam. Other plants are the yellowhorn and temple juniper.
The Helan Shan pika makes its home among rocks. It lives in rocky areas within these forests and shrubs. Some pikas have even been found deep inside old, unused mines. They can go as deep as 20 metres (66 ft) into the mine entrances.
What Do Helan Shan Pikas Eat and Do?
The Helan Shan pika lives among large rocks and loose stones. It makes its home deep in the cracks between these stones. This animal is a herbivore. This means it eats only plants. It gathers grass and other plants from nearby meadows.
Preparing for Winter
Helan Shan pikas do not hibernate. They stay active all winter. To get ready for the cold months, they collect food in summer. They make "haypiles" of dried grass and leaves. They store these food piles underground. This helps them have enough to eat when fresh food is hard to find.
Why is the Helan Shan Pika Endangered?
The Helan Shan pika lives in a very small area. It is known from only one mountain range in China. This area is about 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi) in size. We don't know exactly how many pikas there are. But their numbers are likely going down.
Threats to the Pika
One big problem is logging. This is when trees are cut down in the pika's home. This causes them to lose their habitat. Another threat is climate change. Helan Shan pikas cannot handle hot temperatures. A warmer climate could harm them. Because of these reasons, the IUCN lists this pika as "Endangered." This means it needs our help to survive.
See also
