LARGE-EARED PIKA
DESCRIPTION: This small pika is often
confused with the more common Royle’s Pika. It is pale brownish grey with an
ochre tinge. Its head and front are a paler russet compared to the Royle’s
Pika’s chestnut. In winter, the fur colour changes to a straw-grey. Underparts
are dirty white, more so in winter. The eyes are low-set; the ears are slightly
broader, as its name suggests and are made conspicuous by the long hairs
inside. The feet are pale. Anatomically, the pika has two oval foramina in
front of the orbit at the anterior end of the frontal bones.
BEHAVIOUR: Like the Royle’s Pika, it does
not make burrows.
DISTRIBUTION: Alpine areas through the Himalayas: Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh. Found at higher altitudes
than the Royle’s Pika.
HABITAT: Alpine areas. Seen to share habitat with L. tibetanus and O. nubrica, and separate from L. oiostolus, O. curzoniae and O. ladacensis.
Size: 15–24 cm
IUCN Status: Least Concern
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