About Ochotona dauurica (Pallas, 1776)
Taxonomy and Naming
The Daurian pika, with the scientific name Ochotona dauurica (Pallas, 1776), is a small relative of rabbits and hares in the order Lagomorpha. It is well known for its "barking" alarm call, and for its unusual habit of making hay to help survive the winter.
Subspecies
Four subspecies are currently recognized: Ochotona dauurica annectens, O. d. bedfordi, O. d. dauurica, and O. d. mursavi.
Dental Characteristics
Like other lagomorphs, Daurian pikas are characterized by a secondary set of incisor teeth.
External Morphology
They are sexually monomorphic, and have thick reddish coats. Pikas of this species have no external tail, and their ears are large and rounded.
Skull Morphology
The auditory bullae, a feature of the Daurian pika skull, are small compared to the auditory bullae of many other pika species. This small size is thought to be connected to the species' preference for fairly low altitude habitats.
Ecological Role
Daurian pikas are considered a keystone species within their native range.
Geographic Distribution
Daurian pikas are found across Mongolia, southern Russia, Manchuria, and several provinces of China.
Altitude Range
They inhabit mountainous regions at altitudes from 400 to 4,000 meters above sea level.
Habitat Preferences
They occupy desert grasslands, an environment that allows them to burrow during winter, find fresh grass for food, and collect herbaceous vegetation to store for the winter.
Burrow Sharing with Campbell's Dwarf Hamster
They sometimes share burrows with Campbell's dwarf hamster, and this behavior only occurs in the steppes and semi-deserts of northern Manchuria.
Interactions with Other Burrowing Species
Daurian pikas have been observed sharing burrows with multiple other mammal species. They occasionally "visit" the burrows of Altai marmots and Mongolian pikas. In turn, the burrows of Daurian pikas are visited by ground squirrels, and sometimes by burrowing birds.
Population Limiting Factors
Due to low competition and low predation rates, winter is the limiting factor for Daurian pika populations.
