NUBRA PIKA
DESCRIPTION: It is a small pika, pale sandy
brown with pale greyish white underparts and, on close inspection, has a buff
midline on its belly. Its feet are brownish grey instead of the dull brown of the
Moupin’s. It has a distinct light patch (lacking in Moupin’s) behind the ears.
Its skull is fairly flat (not arched like Royle’s), the ears small, the eyes
low-set, the interorbital region wide and the tympanic bullae, small and
narrow. The skull size is intermediate to Royle’s and Moupin’s. It is overall
paler than the eastern subspecies.
BEHAVIOUR: The Nubra Pika digs shallow
burrows among root systems of bushes. They have a well-developed system of
families.
DISTRIBUTION: Nubra Valley, central Ladakh
in Jammu & Kashmir, and parts of Himachal Pradesh (3,100–3,500 m).
HABITAT: Subalpine and alpine shrubby
habitats, especially Hippophae (valley bottoms) or Caragana (higher
elevations). Seen to share habitat with L. thibetanus and O. macrotis, and separate
from L. oisotolus, O. curzoniae and O. ladacensis.
Size: 14–18.4 cm
0 comments:
Post a Comment