![]() You can help stop one of the cruelest threats facing.A caribou hunter and researchers uncover the impact of climate.Canadian officials ‘destroy’ 204lb black bear after it killed unleashed.33 Swimmers in Hawaii Reportedly Harassed Dolphins, Officials Say.The brain science of tiny birds with amazing memories.Killer bear that disembowelled a trail runner in Italy is.Top transplant surgeon named as trophy hunter accused of killing.This article was first published by National Geographic on. How could anyone turn down a face like that? Li said he hopes to change that, and use the rediscovery of the animal to create conservation areas for the species. ![]() (Related: “Tiny, Rabbit-Like Animals Eating ‘Paper’ to Survive Global Warming.”)Įven so, there are no concerted efforts under way to help the Ili pika. Grazing pressure from livestock and air pollution have likely contributed to the decline in the Ili pika, which IUCN lists as vulnerable to extinction. A 1990s estimate put its population at about 2,000 individuals, and it’s believed to be decreasing in number, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Like other high-dwelling creatures, the pika is sensitive to changes in its environment. Like other species of pika found in North America, the Ili pika lives at high elevations-between 9,200 and 13,450 feet (2,800 to 4,100 meters)-and subsists mainly on grasses, herbs, and other mountain plants. Li caught a specimen and sent it to a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who said he believed the pika was a new species.Īlthough Li couldn’t find any more pikas on a second trip to the area in December 1983, a third trip in 1985 was more successful, and the additional specimens allowed academy researchers to confirm that the Ili pika was new to science. Li wasn’t familiar with the species, nor were nearby herdsmen. The animal was about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long, with large ears and several small brown spots in its gray fur. As he edged closer, Li got a look at its whole body. As Li explored a valley by Jilimalale Mountain, he saw a small, gray head sticking out from a crack in the rock. In 1983, the Chinese government sent Li to the mountainous Xinjiang Province to study natural resources and infectious diseases. They were very excited,” said Tatsuya Shin, a naturalist in China who works with the pika’s discoverers. “They found it hiding behind a rock, and they realized they had found the pika. At noon one day, as they were setting up camera traps, the team spotted their prize.Ī curious pika emerged from a gap in the cliff face, and Li snapped a few photos (including the one above). Weidong Li, the species’ original discoverer and a scientist at the Xinjiang Institute for Ecology and Geography, had gathered a group of volunteers in the Tianshan Mountains for some pika searching. ![]() This Ili pika was seen last summer in China’s Tianshan Mountains – Photograph by Li Weidong Then, in summer 2014, researchers rediscovered the pika.
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