CONTENTS

Living Organisms / Animalia / Craniata / Mammalia / Lagomorpha / Ochotonidae / Ochotona / Species

Ochotona pusilla - Steppe pika (Click photographs/illustrations for full picture & further details)

INDEX - INFORMATION AVAILABLE

Alternative Names (Synonyms)

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• Small pika (B285.w5i)
• Ochotona minutus (B607.w20)
• Ochotona angustifrons (B607.w20)

General pika information

• The name pika originated from the Tungus of Siberia who attempted to mimic the call "peeka" of the local pika species. (B285.w5g)
• The generic name of Ochotona is derived from the Mongolian name for pikas: "ogdoi". (B285.w5g)
• Mouse hares or conies are alternative names for pikas. (B147)
• "Pishchukha" is the Russian common name for all species of pika and some gerbils (Rhombomys opimus, Meriones tamareiscinus (Muridae - (Family)). (B605.3.w3)

Names for new-borns / juveniles

Names for males

Names for females

General Appearance

General pika information

• Pikas are small, egg-shaped, rodent-like lagomorphs which weigh under 500 g. They have rounded, relatively large ears, short legs, and a very short tail which is hardly visible. (B285.w5g)

• This pika is a dark greyish brown with a small amount of straw speckling on the flanks and back and a dullish whitish grey underside; the winter coat is slightly paler. (B605.3.w3)

Newborn:

General pika information

• Newborn pikas are helpless and naked (B147, B287) or slightly furred. (B287)

Similar Species

Similar species include:

• Ochotona hyperborea - Northern pika
  • The Northern pika has a diploid chromosome number of 40, while Ochotona pusilla has a diploid chromosome number of 68.
• Ochotona nubrica - Nubra pika
• Ochotona thibetana - Moupin pika

(B605.3.w3)

Sexual Dimorphism

• Male and female pikas are similar in size and can be difficult to tell apart from one another. (B147)

References

Species Authors & Referees

• See: DIRECTORY- Organisations working with Rabbits and their Relatives

• Rabbits, Hares and Pikas Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan
• See also: The Electronic Library- further reading for "Rabbits and their Relatives: Health & Management"

Husbandry Information

Notes

• --

Management Techniques

• Accommodation Design for Mammals
• Mammal Behavioural Requirements
• Food and Feeding for Mammals
• Mammal Handling & Movement
• Mammal Identification
• Preventative Medicine for Mammals
• Rearing of Mammals
• Reproductive Management of Mammals
• Management of Unwanted or Illegally Held Animals

Measurement & Weight

Notes

• This is a small pika. (B605.3.w3)

Note: There is very little data specific to this species so most of the data below is from general pika information.

LENGTH
Adult:

General pika information

• Pikas measure 120-300 mm. 
  • 120-285 mm. (B285.w5g)
  • 125-300 mm, with most species averaging around 200 mm or less. (B147)
• Males and females are similar in size. (B147)

Newborns: --

HEIGHT
Adults and sub-adults: --
Juveniles: --

WEIGHT
Adult:

General pika information

• Pikas weigh 50-400 g
  • 50-350 g. (B285.w5g)
  • 125-400 g. (B147)

Newborns:

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

•  Ochotona pusilla specific information: 6 - 8 g. (B287)

GROWTH RATE:--

Head and Neck

Notes

GENERAL HEAD STRUCTURE:
Adult:

• In general, the head of pikas is blunt and short, and the skull is quite flattened rather than arched. There is also a constriction between the orbits. (B147)

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• The small skull of this species has a profile that is relatively flat. 
• The frontals have no fenestrae.
• "The tympanic bullae are proportionally large."
  (B605.3.w3)

• General pika information: Pikas have small, rounded ears which are 12-36 mm in length. (B147; B285.w5g)

• General pika information: Pikas can completely close their nostrils. (B147)

• General pika information: These are shorter in burrowing pikas, such as this species, compared to rock dwelling pikas. (B605.3.w3)

Newborn: --

DENTITION

• There are 26 teeth in total - two less than other lagomorphs who have one more upper molar on each side. (B285.w5a, B605.1.w1)
• The dental formula of pikas is 2/1 incisors, 0/0 canines, 3/2 premolars, and 2/3 molars. (B147, B605.1.w1)

Incisors

• Lagomorphs, including pikas, differ from rodents by having two pairs of upper incisors rather than just the one pair. The additional set of incisors are called peg teeth and are found directly behind the long pair in the upper jaw. (B147, B285.w5a, B605.1.w1)
• At birth, lagomorphs actually have three pairs of upper incisors, but they quickly lose the outer incisor on each side. (B147)
• The incisors are covered completely by enamel. (B147)
• The upper incisors' roots are found in the skull's premaxillary bones. However, the length of the lower incisors' roots varies. (B147)
  • [Note: lagomorphs have teeth which grow throughout their lives. For this reason the portion of the teeth which is not exposed (not above the gum line) is strictly speaking not a "root"; however, it is sometimes convenient to describe it as a root.]
• The first upper incisors have a cutting edge which is V-shaped. (B147)
• The peg teeth lack a cutting edge. (B147)

Molars

• Pikas have high crowned cheek teeth with no roots [the teeth grow continuously throughout life]. (B147)
• The lower tooth rows are closer together than the upper tooth rows. (B147)

EYES:

General pika information

• Adult: Pikas have eyes positioned to give a broad field of vision (B285.w5a)
• Newborn: Neonates are blind; the eyes open at eight to ten days. (B287)

Legs, Spine and Tracks

Notes

• Pikas have short legs. (B285.w5g)
• The hindlimbs are just slightly longer than the forelimbs. (B147, B430.w2, B605.2.w2)
• They have five digits on each foot. (B147)
• The feet are heavily furred on the underside. (B147)
• In burrowing pikas, such as the Steppe pika, the claws are more straight and powerful than those of the rock dwelling pikas. (B605.3.w3)

Tail

Notes

• The tail of pikas is virtually absent at a length of 5 mm (B285.w5g); it is not visible. (B147; B430.w2)

Skin / Coat / Pelage

Notes

Adult: 

• Fine, long, soft and dense coat with fur that covers the feet including the under surface. (B147, B285.w5g)
• Most pikas are lighter ventrally than dorsally. (B285.w5g)
• Most species have two moults per year with a brighter summer coat - often a yellowish red - and a greyer winter coat. (B147)

• Summer coat:
  • Dorsal and lateral surfaces: dark greyish brown with a small amount of straw speckling on the flanks and back.
  • Ventral surface: dullish whitish grey.
• Winter coat:
  • Similar to the summer coat except that it is slightly paler.

(B605.3.w3)

Adult Colour variations: --

Newborn/Juvenile:

General pika information

• Newborn pikas are hairless (B147, B287) or slightly furred. (B287)

Detailed Anatomy Notes
(Summary information provided for pertinent species-specific data cross-referenced in Wildpro)

Notes

• Mammary glands:
  • Females have four or six mammary glands. (B147)
• Female reproductive tract:
  • The uterus is duplex. The placenta is discoid, deciduate and hemochorial,with a mesometrial, superficial implantation. (B287)
• Male reproductive tract:
  • Testes:
    • The testes are intra-abdominal outside the breeding season. (B147, B287)
    • During the breeding season they are found in folds of skin at the base of the penis. (B147)
  • Penis:
    • Lagomorphs do not have a baculum. (B147)
• Scent glands: Pikas have scent glands, as do all lagomorphs. (B285.w5a)

Natural Diet

Notes

NATURAL DIET:

General pika information

• Pikas are herbivorous - they eat grasses, flowering stalks, and leaves. Pikas have a preference for those plants highest in protein or other chemicals important to them. (B285.w5g)

• Pikas eat a range of vegetable matter: "in the summer and early autumn the animals gather grasses, sedges, weeds, and many of the large flowering and woody plants, sometimes climbing a few meters up in trees and out on limbs to cut twigs. The material is sometimes place in exposed locations for curing by the sun"; many populations create haystacks to store food for winter. (B147)

QUANTITY EATEN: --

STUDY METHODS: --

Hibernation / Aestivation

Notes

• Pikas do not hibernate. (B147, B285.w5g, B605.3.w3)

Haematology / Biochemistry

Notes

HAEMATOLOGY: --

BIOCHEMISTRY: --

Detailed Physiology Notes
(Summary information provided for pertinent species-specific data cross-referenced in WILDPro)

Notes

METABOLISM (TEMPERATURE): 

General pika information

• Pikas have a high body temperature. (B285.w5g)

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM (RESPIRATION): --

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM (PULSE/HEART RATE): --

GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEM (FAECES AND GUT MOTILITY):

General pika information

• Pikas produce two types of faeces, hard faeces like pepper seeds - small green spherical pellets - which are passed during the day; and soft faeces, sticky and dark green/black, passed at night. Faeces of the latter type have high a energy value and B vitamin levels, and are re-ingested. This behaviour, known as caecotrophy, may have a similar function to the ruminant behaviour of chewing the cud. (B147, B285.w5a)

URINARY SYSTEM (URINE): --

CHROMOSOMES: 

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• This species has a diploid chromosome number of 68. This is the same as Ochotona collaris - Collared pika and Ochotona princeps - American pika. (B605.3.w3)

MUSCULO-SKELETAL SYSTEM: --

SPECIAL SENSES AND VOCALISATIONS:

Vocalisations:

General pika information

• Pikas are known to be more vocal than other lagomorphs. (B285.w5a)

• In general, it has been reported that burrowing pikas, such as the Steppe pika, have a vast range of calls: 

  • Rapidly repeated soft short predator alarm call;

  • Long calls used by adult males;

  • Whines and trills;

  • Muffle and transition calls used by young pikas, which are thought to promote cohesion among siblings.
    (B285.w5g)

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• The Steppe pika is known to be a very vocal pika and its calls are usually heard at late dusk and throughout the night. The long call is used by both sexes. The male's song may be heard up to 2km away and is made up of a series of long trills of low rich sounds. Captive female pikas are reported to call in the absence of any males and will frequently vocalise in response to a song of a female conspecific. The female that initiated this singing will usually chase the responding female. In the field, the female song acts to attract males. (B605.3.w3)

Scent glands

General pika information

• Pikas have scent glands, as do all lagomorphs. (B285.w5a)

Feeding Behaviour

Notes

• Pikas are unable to grasp plants with their forepaws; they eat with a side-to-side jaw motion and carry vegetation in their mouths. (B285.w5g)

Haying and foraging 

• In spring, summer and/or autumn (fall) (depending on species/location) many pika species spend much time "haying" - harvesting mouthfuls of vegetation which are carried back to the den for storage. They build up these stores, resembling piles of hay, and use them for consumption during periods of sparse vegetation, often over-harvesting so that it is a rare occurrence for them to run out of food. (B285.w5g, B605.3.w3) 
• Pika species living in areas where winter snow is common may also make tunnels in the snow to reach and harvest any nearby vegetation. (B285.w5g)
• Some species continue to forage throughout winter rather than haying, because snows are uncommon. (B285.w5g)
• Even at a fairly low population density of ten to twelve pikas per hectare, vegetation storage by pikas may be up to 30 kg per hectare. (B605.3.w3)

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• This species constructs haypiles. (B605.3.w3)

Parental Behaviour

Notes

• In the burrowing pikas, the young may form a line behind an adult, usually their father, and follow. (B285.w5g)

Social Behaviour / Territoriality / Predation / Learning

Notes

Note: The Steppe pika is a burrowing pika rather than a rock dwelling pika. (B605.3.w3)

Social behaviour:

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• Little information is known about the social behaviour of this species due largely to the fact that direct observation is difficult because of its nocturnal nature and reliance on shrubby habitat. (B605.3.w3)
• It is thought that they the family group is composed of an adult pair and their offspring. However, another source states that they live singly: in spring the males may live as nomads, frequently calling from groups of bushes where the presence of a pika is less likely to be detected; the study reported "females living separately as far as 800m from the next nearest pika became pregnant." (B605.3.w3)
• In general, it appears that this species lives socially in burrows and will tolerate high densities if conditions allow. (B605.3.w3)
• The boxing episodes of Ochotona pusilla are brief, often only lasting one second (just a short push). (B605.3.w3)

General pika information

• The burrowing pikas are very friendly, sociable mammals that live within family groups where they may play-box, sit in contact, nose rub and spend time socially grooming. Communal dens house family groups which includes siblings of different ages. The young may follow behind an adult, usually their father, in a line. However, there may be aggression between members of different family groups, in particular, long chases of adult males occur. (B285.w5g)

Population density:

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• Major temporal and spatial changes in the population density of this species has been reported:
• One study showed the pika density in one area fluctuated from 11 pikas per hectare in April to 62 per hectare in June of the same year. However, this then steeply declined to 0.1 per hectare in April and 0.9 per hectare in June of the next year.
• It is possible that the density may vary with the quality of the habitat with high densities of up to 80 pikas per hectare being possible. (B147, B605.3.w3)

General pika information

• In general, the population densities of burrowing steppe dwellers are often much higher than that of the rock dwellers but they are also prone to fluctuate more widely. (B147)
• The population density of burrowing pikas may be greater than 750 per acre towards the end of the breeding season but this may fluctuate greatly both annually and seasonally. (B285.w5g, B605.3.w3)

Territoriality:

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• The minimum distance between burrows was found to be as short as two to four metres. (B605.3.w3)
• This species of pika does not overlap or compete with Ochotona pallasi - Pallas's pika in the areas that they both occur, due to different preferences in habitat. (B605.3.w3)

Sexual Behaviour

Notes

• In general, it appears that pikas are monogamous. (B285.w5g, B605.3.w3)
• Burrowing pikas: The mating system may be flexible: polygynous, polygynous, complex (several male and female), and polyandrous adult associations have been observed side by side. This last relationship is rare in mammals, but in the pika “two males from the same burrow may be seen alternately mating with the resident female and then sitting side by side or grooming one another, even while the female is in estrus - apparently an adaptation to maximize reproductive rates in face of harsh environmental conditions.” (B285.w5g)

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• The mating system of the Steppe pika has been presumed promiscuous by one study. (B605.3.w3)

Activity Patterns, Self-grooming and Navigation

Notes

ACTIVITY PATTERNS: 

General pika information

• Pikas are agile and lively. (B285.w5g)

SELF-GROOMING: --

CIRCADIAN RHYTHM:

• Mainly active by day. Pikas are well-adapted to the cold and sensitive to even moderately warm conditions, therefore they tend to be active only during the cooler parts of the day. (B285.w5g)
• Pikas may be active at all hours, in particular, early morning and evenings. It seems that they are less active on sunny days compared with cloudy days. (B147)
• Pikas which live at high altitudes may be active all day, whereas pikas at warmer, lower altitudes emerge only in the morning and evening. (B285.w5g)

SPEED OF MOVEMENT: --

NAVIGATION: --

General Habitat Type

Notes

• This species is mainly found in moist soil with thick grass and bushes; and where it inhabits arid or desert steppes, it is usually found in wet situations. (B605.3.w3)
• This species has been reported to live inhabit deserts, open plains, and steppes. (B147)

General pika information

• Most pikas live in remote high mountains and wild country and are well adapted to the cold.
  Pikas have become well adapted to living in rocky steppe and alpine habitats. (B285.w5g, B605.3)

Nests / Burrows / Shelters

Notes

• The Steppe pika is a burrowing steppe dwelling pika. (B147, B605.3.w3)

General pika information

• It is common for burrows to be shared with birds or small mammals. (B605.3.w3)

Distribution and Movement (Migration etc.)

Notes

• Steppes from the middle Volga River, Russia. 
• East and south through north Kazakhstan to the upper Irtysh River and the border with China. 
  (B285.w5i, B607.w20)
• Steppe regions from the upper Volga River and southern Ural Mountains south and east to the border of China, RSFSR and Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union". (B605.3.w3)
• Not yet recorded in China. (B605.3.w3, B607.w20) However there has been one suggestion that this species lives on the southern slope of the Tarbagatai mountains, China. (B605.3.w3)
• "In the Quaternary and Holocene Periods this species lived in the Crimea, the Ukraine and western Europe". (B605.3.w3)
• The range of this species has reduced significantly in historical times and this is likely to be a result of modification of its preferred habitat of steppe-shrub. (B605.3.w3)

Species variation

Notes

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

Currently recognised subspecies include:

• Ochotona pusilla angustifrons
• Ochotona pusilla pusilla also known as Ochotona pusilla minutus

NB: the name in non-bold font is reported as a synonym for that particular subspecies from the reference B607.w20.

Former subspecies of Ochotona pusilla but now considered as distinct species :

• Ochotona forresti - Forrest's pika. 
• Ochotona nubrica - Nubra pika.

Former subspecies of Ochotona pusilla but subsequently reassigned :

• Ochotona thibetana osgoodi was previously listed as a subspecies of the Steppe pika but was reassigned on the basis of morphometric analysis which showed its close phenetic similarity to Ochotona thibetana - Moupin pika.

(B605.3.w3, B607.w20)

Conservation Status

Notes

WILD POPULATION - IMPORTANCE:

General pika information

In general, pikas are important for the following reasons:

• They act as prey for many birds and mammals. 
• By recycling soil, burrowing pikas have a positive contribution to ecosystem-level dynamics. 
• Haypiles created by pikas may provide winter food for domestic cows and horses and also native species such as ungulates or smaller herbivores.
  (B605.3.w3)

GENERAL LEGISLATION:

• "Currently no species or forms of Ochotona are treated on any national list of endangered or threatened wildlife." (B605.3.w3)

CITES LISTING:

• There are currently no Ochotona species CITES-listed. (W354.April08.w1)

RED-DATA LIST STATUS:

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• IUCN - Vulnerable. (W2.Apr08.w60)

THREATS:

• The range of this species has reduced significantly in historical times and this is likely to be a result of modification of its preferred habitat of steppe-shrub. One source mentioned that "various data indicate that this species becomes constantly rarer in the Trans-Volga and in western Siberia." (B605.3.w3)
• In the Red Book of the Bashkir Autonomous Republic, Soviet Union, some European populations of Ochotona pusilla pusilla were listed as "rare". (B605.3.w3)
• Around 1000 years ago, this species disappeared from Ukraine and around 200 years ago it disappeared from Russia, west of the Volga due to the human modification of the steppes. Continued decline is expected due to habitat loss and direct killing. (B147)

General pika information

• In general, the status of many species of pika is hard to assess because they inhabit such remote areas. (B285.w5g)
• Many species of pika inhabit very restricted ranges and so may be threatened by human environmental disruption. (B147)

PEST STATUS / PEST POPULATIONS:

General pika information

• Due to their remote habitat, most pikas "rarely come into conflict with human economic activity." (B147)
• Some burrowing pikas have high population densities which may lead to rangeland degradation. (B285.w5g)

CAPTIVE POPULATIONS: --

TRADE AND USE:

Specific Ochotona pusilla information

• This species of pika was trapped for the fur trade mainly to make high quality felt. However, this trapping apparently had no noticeable effect on their populations and has now stopped. (B605.3.w3)
• Trapping of Ochotona pusilla for the fur industry has occurred in Kazakhstan. In some years, a few thousand "pishchukhas" (the common name in Russian for all species of pika and some gerbils Rhombomys opimus, Meriones tamareiscinus (Muridae - (Family)) were trapped in the Karaganda area where this species and Ochotona pallasi - Pallas's pika are common, but actually only 300 to 350 were pikas. (B605.3.w3)

General pika information

• Before World War II, the fur of some species of pika was used to produce high quality felt in the Soviet Union. 
  (B605.3.w3)