Have you ever heard of the Ochotona Rutila or the Turkestan Red Pika?  They live in mountains near the Middle East.  They change color from summer to winter.  It can also be known as the silent Pika because it doesn’t make an alarming whistle or vocal noise when it’s in danger. They live for about three years.

 

Turkestan Red Pikas can grow from five to twelve inches long. Their weight is very small: less than 500 grams.  Males and females have the same weight.  It changes color from a rich-reddish coat in the summer to an ash gray with blackish-brown speckling in the winter; both males and females have the same coloring.  Males and females are very hard to tell apart.  They have rounded, relatively large ears, short legs, and a small tail that is hardly visible.

 

Red Pikas commonly live in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan.  They prefer rocky habitats and are found mostly in the Pamir, Gissar, and Tien Shan mountain ranges.  They are not threatened, the exact population is unknown, but the females have two to six babies per year.

 

They are herbivorous like many other Pikas, but instead of feeding in open meadows, they eat plants growing among the rocks on the mountain or small pieces of turf.  Many birds, weasels, and canids like to eat Turkestan Red Pikas.  One of their main contributions to society is being prey to many animals.

 

Red Pika’s are one of the only Pika’s that change color from summer to winter.  If they aren’t eaten first, they can live three years.  As you can see, Red Pika’s are very interesting animals.

 

Author: Matthew T

Date Published: 02/2013

 

Sources: 

animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/ochotona_rutila/

wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MLagomorph/.../Ochotona_rutila.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkestan_red_pika

                

Photo Source: Peter Romanow   http://www.biolib.cz/en/taxonimage/id172783/?taxonid=20559&type=1