Himalayan Pika Fun Facts What do Himalayan pikas look like? Himalayan pikas have been listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as these burrowing mammals thrive in their natural habitat thanks to excess food sources and enough hiding places like piles of rocks and cliffs to avoid predators. These rock-dwelling species take advantage of the favorable habitat and availability of food sources and often breed more than once during the breeding season, which results in a small group of young pikas. It is, however, known that these creatures related to rabbits and hares who also belong to the order Lagomorpha, have small litters which consist of four to five young which are born after a gestation period of 25-30 days. There is not much information about these creatures during the breeding season. Himalayan pikas, much like other members of the pika family, like the collared pika and American pika that they are related to, have a lifespan of seven years in the wild. When these creatures forage the dense vegetation for food sources, they often pair up with burrow mates and share the food. While during the breeding season, a Himalayan pika male and a female will pair up. Himalayan pikas are social creatures and are often found in a small group that is made up of parents and their litters. Rocky areas also provide these species to avoid predators in their natural habitat. These burrowing and rock-dwelling pikas are also found amongst human habitation as they make use of existing burrows, filling them with grass and hay from the nearby vegetation to create comfortable burrows to spend the winter season in.
Himalayan pikas can often be found in dense vegetation among the cold mountain ranges or they can be found in rocky places, cliff edges with rocks, and sometimes in burrows, as they are also a burrowing species. Himalayan pikas are always on the move in search of food and like the Royle's pika, which they are related to, forage for food during the monsoon season even though they do not hibernate during the cold and long winter seasons in their native habitats. These species of pikas are also said to occur in the moderate temperatures of Nepal, this claim about these habitats is yet to be proved. These rock-dwelling pikas are mostly found in the northern part of the Himalayan mountains at high altitudes. Himalayan pikas are native to the Himalayan mountains and are often confused with the Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) that they are closely related to. Himalayan pika is hard to search for in its natural range as it is native to cold temperatures along the rocky mountains and cliffs in the Himalayan region, which makes it difficult to use references or research of these habitats to estimate the population count of these species.Įven though no population estimate can be given, it is safe to say that these pikas, like their close relatives, the Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) and the American pika are a species of Least Concern meaning that their population is stable. How many Himalayan pikas are there in the world? These small rock-dwelling pikas belong to the class of mammals. What class of animal does a Himalayan pika belong to? The genus Ochotona is the only genus recognized in the pika family which consists of other pika species like the American pika (Ochotona princeps), Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei), Northern pika (Ochotona hyperborea), and the collared pika (Ochotona collaris) to name a few. These small animals are part of the order Lagomorpha which also contains many species of rabbits and hares. The Himalayan pika (Ochotona himalayana) is a small species of mammal that belongs to the Ochotonidae family.
If you liked these true facts about Himalayan pika, then you'll surely like these facts about gerbil and marsupial mole too!įamily Ochotonidae Himalayan Pika Interesting Facts What type of animal is a Himalayan pika? With more than 30 species in the Ochotoan genus, the pika group is vast and their population keeps growing as a result of which they are not a species that is in dire need of saving.
Pikas are shy creatures and do not interact with humans unless they are nearby human settlements. Going by the looks of these creatures, it is often assumed that they belong to the Rodentia order, but that is not the case as they belong to the Lagomorpha order which also consists of rabbits and hares. Himalayan pikas are an adorable species thanks to their small size and short rounded ears which makes these creatures super cute to look at! The Himalayan pikas (Ochotona himalayana), are small mammals that are native to the Himalayan mountain range, and even though they are a species of least concern, they can be very difficult to locate as they occur in the harsh climate of the Himalayas.