I want to rub it! It is the prototype of Pikachu and the leader in cuteness

In the real world, there is a kind of cute animal called pika. Pikachu was created based on the pika.

The pika looks as cute as Pikachu, combining the appearance of a rabbit and the demeanor of a mouse, hence the name.

Image source: Photo Network

Image source: National Geographic Chinese website

The pika is a "tiny creature", usually 10.2-30.2 cm long, about the size of a potato, with soft and dense fur. More than 90 species of Lagomorpha have been discovered, such as the Tibetan pika, the Northeastern pika, the Ili pika, the plateau pika, the big-eared pika, etc. Among them, 30 species belong to the Ochotonidae family, and the rest belong to the Leporidae family.

Pikas are mainly distributed near the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, as well as in the plateaus or mountains of central Asia, and are also found in northeastern Asia, North America, and Europe. There are only 30 species of pikas, 24 of which are found in China, 10 of which are only found in China, and 9 of which are endemic to Tibet.

Pikas live in various forests and grasslands, usually digging holes to live in or living in groups in natural rock crevices. They go out during the day, make sharp calls, and run like rabbits.

How to overcome the cold winter? Pika has a trick!

The plateau pika belongs to the genus Otochelonidae of the order Lagomorpha. It weighs about 150 grams (the weight range is 110 grams to 210 grams). It is small and exquisite, with a gentle temperament and is much more agile than a domestic rabbit. The plateau pika is distributed in the area between 3,000 meters and 5,100 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As a herbivorous animal, it is a strict "vegetarian".

Image credit: Keith Kohl

Initially, scientists speculated that during unusually cold winters, pikas would need more energy to survive and maintain a high and constant body temperature, and therefore would need more food.

Therefore, the researchers used the stable isotope method of doubly labeled water to measure the daily energy consumption of free-living plateau pikas in winter and summer in the wild. However, the energy consumption of plateau pikas in winter did not increase, but decreased by about 30% compared with summer.

The study showed that pikas not only lower their body temperature in winter, but also reduce their activities. The measurement also found that the metabolic level of pikas in winter also decreased. Finally, it was concluded that the decrease in total energy consumption of plateau pikas in winter is mainly achieved by reducing metabolic levels, lowering body temperature and reducing ground activities.

Image source: Baidu Encyclopedia

Not only that, pikas also eat yak dung to get an extra source of energy in the winter. In winter, in areas with high yak density, the number of plateau pikas will be greater, and they will run less frequently to the cold ground.

In fact, yaks and pikas are both species that feed on grass, and there is a competition for food resources. If one eats more, it will inevitably affect the food resources of the other. Therefore, the more yaks there are in the same area, the fewer pikas there should be.

Plateau pikas feeding on yak feces | Base map: Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

However, the two competitors who should have snatched the grass - yaks and pikas - were able to break this relationship, resulting in a situation where there were more yaks and more pikas. This is because of the pikas' peculiar feeding behavior.

Protecting pikas is urgent!

Not only do pikas need to live in cool, moist places, they can only thrive if there are large rocks and streams or rivers around them.

Image source: National Geographic Chinese website

The pika was once mistaken for a type of mouse and has long been blamed for the degradation of highland grasslands. People have tried to exterminate it, but the harsh living environment, a large number of natural enemies, and large-scale pika extermination have led to the extinction of most pika species. In 2013, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) listed the pika as vulnerable on the Red List of Endangered Species.

For example, the Ili pika is a species endemic to Xinjiang. It lives in the high and cold mountainous areas of the Tianshan Mountains. It is also an endangered species in the world, with less than 1,000 of them currently.

Image source: CCTV News

At present, more and more scientists hope to study and manage the pika and its ecological environment as a whole and in a systematic way. Any species in an ecosystem has its own intrinsic value, and its intrinsic value should be independent of the value given to it by humans.

If we still want to see cute pikas in real life, instead of just watching Pikachu flirting on the screen, please protect the environment and love pikas.

END

Source: Science Popularization China, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

National Geographic Chinese website, CCTV News

Compiled by: Dong Xiaoxian

Editor: Guru