Turkestan red pika

Turkestan red pika
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Lagomorpha
Family: Ochotonidae
Genus: Ochotona
Species:
O. rutila
Binomial name
Ochotona rutila
(Severtzov, 1873)
Turkestan red pika range

The Turkestani red pika (Ochotona rutila) is a species of mammal in the family Ochotonidae. The summer fur at its back is bright rufous and the ventral fur is white or ochraceous. The winter dorsal fur is pale brown and the ventral fur is white or light ochraceous in colour. It is found in the mountains of western Xinjiang in China, and sporadically also in the central Asian mountains in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The female has a low fertility rate, and gives birth to offspring during the breeding season from spring to summer. She generally produces two litters each year, with two to six young. It is rated as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species, but it is considered to be near-threatened within the China part of its range.

  1. ^ Smith, A.T.; Lissovsky, A. (2016). "Ochotona rutila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41270A45184897. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T41270A45184897.en. Retrieved 14 November 2021.