Helan Shan pika
| Helan Shan pika | |
|---|---|
| Summer coat, Helan Mountains, Ningxia, China | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Lagomorpha |
| Family: | Ochotonidae |
| Genus: | Ochotona |
| Species: | O. argentata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ochotona argentata Howell, 1928
| |
| Helan Shan pika range | |
| Zoomed-in range map showing relief of the Helan Mountains | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The Helan Shan pika (Chinese: 贺兰山鼠兔; pinyin: Hèlánshān shǔtù) or silver pika (Ochotona argentata) is a rock-dwelling species of pika that is endemic to a small region of the Helan Mountains in Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, China. As a pika, it is a small mammal that resembles and is closely related to rodents. It is a large species relative to other pikas, and has an orange-red fur coat that changes to silver in winter. This pika typically lives in forested areas among rocks and in tunnels and rock slides formed by human mining activities.
The Helan Shan pika is an herbivore and builds haypiles out of vegetation for food storage, like most other pikas. It makes little noise compared to other pikas, outside of the breeding season, and is potentially active at night. It is closely related to Pallas's pika, and is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to deforestation across its limited distribution.