Gansu Pika

Gansu Pika
Systematics
Subclass :	Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate :	Euarchontoglires
Order :	Hare-like (Lagomorpha)
Family :	Ochotonidae
Genre :	Pika ( Ochotona )
Type :	Gansu Pika
Scientific name
	Ochotona cansus
	Lyon , 1907

The Gansu-Pfeifhase ( Ochotona cansus ) is a mammal from the family of the Pfeifhasen (Ochotonidae) within the hare-like (Lagomorpha). Its distribution area is in the People's Republic of China from the north of the provinces of Xizang and Sichuan over the central and eastern Qinghai to the south of Gansu and in the province of Shaanxi .

features

The Gansu pika is a comparatively small pika with a body length of 11.6 to 16.5 centimeters and a weight of 50 to 100 grams. In summer it has a dark red to tea-brown or dark brown to matt gray-brown fur, although the colors can vary greatly from region to region. An inconspicuous, light stripe runs from the chest to the abdomen. The ventral side is bright white, partly yellowish brown in color. In winter the back color is uniformly gray to red-brown. The ears reach a length of 14 to 24 millimeters, the hind feet are 22 to 29 millimeters long.

The skull is comparatively large for its short body length, albeit smaller and with a narrower zygomatic arch than the Moupin Pika ( Ochotona thibetana ), which is often used for comparison . The incisor and palate windows merge into one another in this type and form a common window. The tympanic bladder is large. In profile, the skull is pear-shaped and wider than that of Ochotona thomasi .

distribution

Distribution area of Ochotona cansus

The Gansu Pika is endemic to the People's Republic of China and occurs there from the north of the provinces of Xizang and Sichuan via the central and eastern Qinghai to the south of Gansu . The subspecies O. c. morosa lives in isolation in Shaanxi Province .

The altitude distribution of the animals is usually between 2700 and 3800 meters.

Way of life

The habitat of the Gansu Pika consists of open areas with bushy vegetation along highland pastures or in the grass under spruce trees. In the areas in which it occurs sympathetically with the black-lipped pika ( Ochotona curzoniae ), it is not found in open meadows. The animals also avoid too dense bushes and prefer slightly open hills or the burial mounds of the blind mole . The zone is characterized by finger bushes ( Dasiphora fruticosa ) and mane pea bushes ( Caragana jubata ), which are characteristic of the altitudes between 2700 and 3800 meters. The animals live in simple, self-dug structures about one meter in length with few entrances. Occasionally they also use old, vacant buildings of the Himalayan marmot ( Marmota himalayana ). They are diurnal and generally feed on parts of plants.

The animals are monogamous , the males mate accordingly only with one female. They live as a family group made up of the parents and the young animals in a shared building. The breeding season extends from early April to late August. The females give birth to three litters each year, each with up to 6 young, the gestation period is around 20 days. The female cycle within the population is out of sync. The female offspring can have young themselves as early as the first year of life.

Communication mainly takes place within the family, with four different calls being known: long whistles that only the males emit, short whistles as a sign of danger and in defense of the territories, as well as “wailing” and trills. The size of the territories depends on the season.

Systematics

The Gansu-Pfeifhase was assigned as an independent species to the Pfeifhasen (genus Ochotona ) and the subgenus Ochotona . Historically, the stocks were assigned to Ochotona roylei and later mainly Ochotona thibetana . With the latter, the species occurs largely overlapping ( sympatric ), with the two species each using different ecological niches .

A total of four subspecies are distinguished, the nominate form O. c. cansus , O. c. morosa , O. c. sorella and O. c. stevensi . Individual authors rank O. c. morosa Ochotona thibetana , to which the animals appear sympatric in Tsing Ling Shan in Shaanxi Province . According to current data is also encouraged to Ochotona dauurica belonging subspecies O. d. annectens to Ochotona cansus .

Hazard and protection

The species is classified as not endangered (least concern) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) due to its large distribution area. Exact data for the population sizes are not available, but the species is estimated to be relatively common. In particular the status of the subspecies O. c. sorella , which has not been observed in the wild for more than 70 years, as well as the isolated populations of the subspecies O. c. morosa is unclear. Major threats to the populations are not known, but it is believed that the subspecies O. c. sorella has been greatly reduced through the use of pesticides to control pests.

supporting documents

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Gansu pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 277-278.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Ed.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF; 11.3 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990, ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 , pp. 23-25.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Ochotona cansus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012.2. Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Ochotona cansus ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 3. Edition. @1@ 2

literature

Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Eds.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF; 11.3 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990, ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 , pp. 23-25.
Gansu pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 277-278.

Web links

Commons : Ochotona cansus - collection of images, videos and audio files

Ochotona cansus inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Andrew T. Smith , CH Johnston, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2012.

[Smith_&_Yan_Xie_2009-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Gansu pika. In: Andrew T. Smith , Yan Xie: A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-691-09984-2 , pp. 277-278.

[Chapman_&_Flux-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Joseph A. Chapman, John EC Flux (Ed.): Rabbits, Hares and Pikas. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. (PDF; 11.3 MB) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), Gland 1990, ISBN 2-8317-0019-1 , pp. 23-25.