Royle’s Pika

Royle’s Pika Latest News

Scientists said that climate change threatens creatures like Royle’s pika that have weathered extreme environments for thousands of years.

About Royle’s Pika

• Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei), also called the Himalayan mouse hare or hui shutu, is a species of pika.
• Habitat: It is found in open rocky landscapes and rhododendron forests at 2,400–5,000 m elevation in the Himalayan region.
• Distribution: It is found in northwestern Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in India to Nepal and Tibet.
• Characteristics of Royle’s pika
  • It does not hibernate. Instead it relies on a thick winter snowpack to act as an insulating blanket, shielding it from brutal sub-zero temperatures.
  • It does not make its own nest; rather, it takes narrow creeks and existing burrow systems as its nest.
  • Diet: Its primary food plants include alpine herbs and forbs, particularly moisture-loving Himalayan plants efficient at photosynthesis in cool wet climates.
  • Reproduction: Pikas breed between late spring and summer. Sexual maturity is reached between 7-10 months.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern
• Threats: Climate change and population isolation.

Source: DTE

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