Chinese Red Pika

About the Chinese Red Pika

The Chinese red pika (Ochotona erythrotis) is a species of mammal in the family Ochotonidae. Typical of a pika it has short limbs, a small tail and round ears. Specific to the Chinese red pika has distinctive red color in its pelt. The Chinese pika typically lives in rocky terrain at altitudes between 600 and 1200 meters. and is endemic to the East Qinghai, West Gansu and Northern Sichuan provinces of China and Eastern Tibet.

The Chinese red pika is one of the largest pika species, averaging a length of 18 to 29 cm. This pika has both a winter and summer pelt. The winter pelt is thicker for the cooler weather, and is a grey color with a slight tint of red in the ear region.

In the summer, this species has a coat that is a rusty-red color at the head and chest and progressively becomes more grey at the tail end of the animal. The stomach region of O. erythrotis is a white color in both pelts.

The Chinese red pika was formerly regarded as a subgenus of Pika, included first with Ochotona gloveri and later with Ochotona rutila until they were determined to be separate species (mammal species). The pika species O. gloveri is believed to be the closest... Wikipedia →