The Daurian pika (Ochotona dauurica)
The Daurian pika (Ochotona dauurica) is a small relative of rabbits and hares in the order Lagomorpha. It is well known for its “barking” alarm call, and for its peculiar habit of making hay to help survive the winter. There are 4 recognized subspecies, Ochotona dauurica annectens, Ochotona dauurica bedfordi, Ochotona dauurica dauurica, and Ochotona dauurica mursavi. Daurian pikas, like other lagomorphs, are characterized by a secondary set of incisor teeth. They are sexually monomorphic, with thick reddish coats. Pikas have no external tail, and their ears are large and rounded. The auditory bullae, a feature of the skull of daurian pikas are small in comparison to many other pikas. This is thought to be related to their fairly low altitude habitat preference. They are considered keystone species within their habitat.
Taxonomy
Pikas first appeared in fossil records in the late Miocene, and were located in central Asia. Rivers and glaciers divided the region they first inhabited, allowing them to diversify into the 30 species known today. They are eutherian mammals in the order Lagomorpha. Lagomorpha is divided into 2 extant families, Leporidae which includes rabbits and hares, and Ochotonidae, the pikas. Although there is only one genus, Ochotona, there are 3 subgenera: Pika, Ochotona, of which Daurian pikas are members, and Conothoa. Daurian pikas can be distinguished from other pikas by range, social and feeding behaviors, and their reddish coat.
Distribution
The range of Ochotona dauurica is very extensive and includes the southeastern Altai Mountains, Tuva, Buryatia, southeast Chita Oblast, Mongolia and northern China.
Description
The body length of Ochotona dauurica ranges from 180 to 195 mm and its ears are short as well. There is a narrow, light-coloured border along the edge of the auricle, and the edges of the lips and the tip of the nose are covered with light-coloured hairs. Ochotona dauurica has long (4-5.5 cm) vibrissae.
The colour of summer fur of Ochotona dauurica is brownish (varies from pale, yellowish-pale grey to duller and darker, pale grey in different subspecies). Winter fur is uniform grey with a pale tinge.
Lifestyle
Ochotona dauurica is an excellent digger. It is one of the few species of the family that has managed to adapt perfectly to a permanent life in burrows. The northern part of its range is cereal and sagebrush steppes. Here pika burrows are complex, highly branched, but shallow (up to 15 cm), with 15-20 entrances and exits. Pika live in colonies and stay in pairs throughout the year. The internal area of the burrow system of one family is 25-36 m², while the surface area occupied by this family can reach up to 700 square metres. In addition to the main labyrinth, there are also simple burrows with 2-3 exits, which serve as temporary shelters from predators. The burrow systems of neighbouring families are often interconnected, as the animals are not aggressive towards each other and friendly relations prevail between individuals in colonies.
The southern most part of the range of Ochotona dauurica is semi-desert. Here pika inhabit lower, more humid areas, where vegetation is richer. Consequently, the distribution of pikers is more sporadic, with colonies sometimes separated from each other by considerable distances. The animal avoids the proximity of human settlements, loose sands and rubbly plumes. Ochotona dauurica is also found in mountain meadows up to 3000 metres above sea level.
Like most other Ochotona, Ochotona dauurica is a diurnal animal. In spring it stays awake all daylight hours, in summer and autumn it is most active in the morning and evening, during the daytime in hot hours it almost does not come out of its dens. In windy days the activity of animals is reduced, in cloudy and windless days it increases considerably. During feeding and preparation of fodder for winter, the pika often emits a long, rolling, gradually fading trill.
Ochotona dauurica does not hibernate in winter. In winter, the animals do not leave their dens in severe frosts, but on windless clear days with light frosts they appear on the surface, basking in the sun at the entrance or running from place to place.
The life span of Ochotona dauurica is about three years. Most die in the first year of life, falling prey to various predators.
Diet
The diet of Ochotona dauurica is diverse and includes about 60 species of herbaceous plants, as well as mushrooms, leaves and young shoots of shrubs. Ochotona dauurica stores food for winter: cut leaves of iris, cereals, wormwood and other herbs are placed in stacks up to 50 cm in diameter and 30-40 cm high. Stored leaves and stems are occasionally shifted for drying. Stacks are most often placed near tree trunks or shrubs near burrow entrances. "Hay-making begins in all parts of the range in July-August, possibly earlier in some areas. Occasional stealing of supplies from neighbouring families occurs when food is scarce.
Breeding
The animals breed from April to September. There are 2 (sometimes 3) broods of 3-8 cubs per year. Breeding is most intense in June-July, when the first brood of cubs is included. Pregnancy in Ochotona dauurica lasts about 25 days. The female gives birth to cubs in the nest in a special chamber inside the burrow. The litter contains 3-8 cubs. The male does not allow the female to approach the newborns, as he is forced to live in a part of the burrow away from the nest.
Ochotona dauurica cubs are born completely helpless: naked, blind and deaf. However, in a few hours their skin darkens, and in two days they are covered with grey baby fur. By this time the cubs have their first teeth - incisors. The development of young Ochotona dauurica is rapid, literally "not by days, but by hours". At the age of six days, the still blind cubs crawl vigorously. On the eighth day their eyes open and they begin to explore the burrow. On the tenth to eleventh day, they can get out of the burrow to sit in the sun. At the same time they get acquainted with their father. At the first meeting the male sniffs the cubs for a long time, catching the familiar smell of his burrow, the familiar smell of the female - the mother of the cubs, and remembers the new for him smell of the cubs themselves. During the first days, the cubs move away from the burrow only a few metres. But gradually they dare to explore the farthest corners of the parental area, enter the territories of neighbours. At this time young males begin to try to sing, and for some time their high fragile voices stand out among the confident and strong voices of adults. Young females become sexually mature as early as 21 days of age, males a little later. About a month after birth, young pika pups leave the parental burrow and scatter around the area in search of a mate and free burrow space. Occasionally there are fights over territory.
Ecology
Daurian pikas have been observed sharing burrows with several other mammal species. They occasionally “visit” burrows of altai marmots and Mongolian pikas. In turn, their burrows are visited by ground squirrels, and sometimes by burrowing birds. Due to low competition and predation rates, the limiting factor on Daurian pika populations is winter.
Conservation issues
Daurian pikas have been historically seen as agricultural pests, as they are herbivores sharing feeding grounds with livestock. As such they were subjected to pest control methods by farmers. In recent years, however, it has been discovered that they actually have quite different food preferences from domesticated animals, and are therefore not actually pests. Actions have been taken to educate local farmers on this fact, and pika hunting is on the decline. It is listed on the IUCN red list as a species of least concern, although there are some subpopulations around the Gobi desert that may be vulnerable.
