The Large-eared pika (Ochotona macrotis) is a small mountain-dwelling mammal found in Central Asia. Pikas nest among boulders and scree, and in the autumn they pull hay, soft twigs, and other stores of food under rocks to eat during the long, cold winter.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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GraminivoreIn zoology, a graminivore (not to be confused with a granivore) is an herbivorous animal that feeds primarily on grass. Graminivory is a form of g...
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FolivoreIn zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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GrazingGrazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on plants such as grasses, or other multicellular organisms such as algae. In agriculture...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Large-eared pika has brownish-grey fur tinged with ochre. The forehead, cheeks, and shoulder region have a reddish tinge which is more obvious in summer. The underparts are greyish-white. The four legs are all about the same length and the feet, including the soles, are covered with fur.
Large-eared pikas are found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan and the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang and Yunnan in China. They live in crevices among the shattered rock and scree found in mountainous regions.
Large-eared pikas are solitary and territorial animals. They don't hibernate and are active during the day. Pikas prefer foraging in temperatures below 25 °C (77 °F), so they generally spend their time in shaded regions and out of direct sunlight when temperatures are high. Some populations make "haypiles" of dried grasses in their burrows to help them survive through the winter when fresh greenery is scarce.
Large-eared pikas are herbivores (graminivores, folivores). They eat grasses and other vegetation, twigs, lichens, and mosses.
Large-eared pikas are polygynous meaning that one male mates with more than one female during the breeding season. There are usually two litters a year, each with 2-3 young. The gestation period is approximately 30 days. The young are born blind and helpless and become reproductively mature by the next breeding season.
There are no major threats facing this species at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Large-eared pika total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
