Ili Pika Seen in China After The Rare Animal Has Been Hiding For Decades
Credit: Weidong Li
A rare animal, Ili Pika, has been seen peeking on rocks at the Tianshan Mountains in northwest China by scientist Weidong Li.
“As Li explored a valley by Jilimalale Mountain, he saw a small, gray head sticking out from a crack in the rock,” National Geographic wrote. “The animal was about 8 inches (20 centimeters) long, with large ears and several small brown spots in its gray fur.”
It was also Li who first saw the Ili Pika in 1983 when the Chinese government sent him to the mountainous Xinjiang Province to study natural resources and infectious diseases. As Li explored a valley by Jilimalale Mountain, he saw a small, gray head sticking out from a crack in the rock. As he edged closer, Li got a look at its whole body.
Ili pika lives at high elevations—between 9,200 and 13,450 feet (2,800 to 4,100 meters)—and subsists mainly on grasses, herbs, and other mountain plants.
A 1990s estimate put its population at about 2,000 individuals, and it’s believed to be decreasing in number, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Li hopes to create conservation areas for the species.