The elusive ili pika has finally been spotted by scientists in China once more after 20 years of searching.
In 1983, Weidong Li was sent by the Chinese government to the mountains in the Xinjiang province with the task of studying natural resources and infectious diseases in the area. While working in a valley, he spotted a small mammal that was unfamiliar to him and his team, so he captured one and sent it to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
They decided it was a new species of Pika, a small mammal that is about the size of a hamster and is a member of Ochotonidae, a close relative to rabbits and hares. In 1985, Li caught more specimens and confirmed that it was a previously unknown species, and a couple dozen more sightings were reported. After that, however, no more ili pika could be found — as if they had disappeared.
Li decided in the summer of 2014 to travel with a team of volunteers to the Tianshan mountains specifically to find another ili pika. While setting up camera traps, a pika popped out of a cliff face and stared at the crew.
Tatsuya Shin, who worked with Li, said ”They found it hiding behind a rock, and they realized they had found the pika. They were very excited.”
The ili pika is endangered. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the ili pika has an estimated 2,000 individuals left in its population and is believed to be decreasing. National Geographic notes that Li is looking to create a conservation area to help the ili pika build in number.
Different species of pika are common around the world, spanning across North America and into the Eurasia. They all have similar behavioral patterns, such as dwelling at high-altitudes of anywhere from 9,000 to 14,000 feet, and they subsist on grasses, shrubs, and moss.
Conservationists are worried not only for the ili pika, but all species around the world, due to warming temperatures. Pikas are well suited to cold environments and can retain heat extremely well due to their small ears, short limbs, and a spherical body shape, so much so that living at a temperature of 78°F for two days can kill it from heat exhaustion.
