The pika (Ochotona)
The pika (Ochotona) is a small rabbit weighing around 200g. It is distingished by
short rounded ears, hindlegs slightly longer than forelimbs and a vestigial tail from the
rabbit and hare, and belongs to the genous Ochotona, the family Ochotonidae, and
the order Lagomorpha. The pika is paleontologically extremely primitive and is concidered
to be "a living fossile" of the Eocene epoch in the Tertiary period (65-25 million years ago).
The pikas livie in the cold areas or high mountains such as the Himalayas, Alaska,
Manchuria, Rocky Mountains and Ural Mountains. The pika attracts attentions as an animal
model of cold adaptation as well as high-altitude adaptation. The pika is intolerant to
heat because of lack of efficient heat loss mechanisms, and does not hibernate in winter.
Photos and movies of black-lipped pika（Ochotona curzoniae）are up-loaded
Afghan pika(Ochotona rufescens rufescens) Go to Large Size Photos
 |  |
| An adult | A child, 40days old, 140g |
at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University (June 1986)
Daurica pika (Ochotona daurica) Go to Large Size Photos
In Mongolia, it is as cold as -20ºC in winter. The marmot, which lives under the ground
as the pika in the same area, hibernates in winters, however, the pika does not hibernate
but stores the hay in the burrows for winter foods.
 |  |  |
| at the Institute of Biology, University of Mongolia | at the Institute of Biology, University of Mongolia | An infant of Daurica pika
at Mt. Bogdo 40km south of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
| July 31, 1995 | July 25, 1994 | Aug. 2, 1995 |
Yeso-pika (Ochotona hyperborea yesoensis)
Go to Large Size Photos
 |  |  |  |
| An adult | An adult with winter fur on the hip | An adult whistling on the rock
| A child |
at Lake Komadome, Hokkaido, Japan (July 18, 1999)
Black-lipped pika（Ochotona curzoniae）
Go to Large Size Photos
at the plateau (about 4,000 m above sea level) near Machine, Qinghai Province, China (Aug. 19, 2000)
Link the pika
Our publications on the physiology of the pika
- Studies of temperature regulation on pika (Ochotona rufescens); an old-fashioned rabbit.
Kosaka M, Ohwatari N, Iwamoto J, Tsuchiya K, Fujiwara M, Fan Y-J, Matsuo S, Moriuchi T,
Matsuzaki T. Trop Med, 27, 289-294, 1985.
- Poor heat loss ability of pika (whistle rabbit). Yang G-J, Matsumoto T, Kosaka M,
Yamauchi M, Ohwatari N. Trop Med, 30, 45-48, 1988.
- Analysis of locomotor activity on pika (whitle rabbit). Kosaka M, Yang G-J, Matsumoto T,
Ohwatari N, Tsuchiya K, Chen C-M, Nakamura K, Matsuo S, Moriuchi T. Trop Med, 30,
213-218, 1988.
- Physiological characteristics of pika (Ochotona rufescens rufescens) as a weak heat
tolerant animal. Yang G-J. Trop Med, 32, 129-140, 1990.
- A field study of telemetry-recording of the body temperature in wild Mongolian pikas.
Matsumoto T, Kosaka M, Saito M, Sakai A, Matsuzaki T, Ganzorig S, Ohwatari N, Shimazu M,
Nomura T. Trop Med, 37, 93-98, 1995.
- Insulative adaptation to cold and absence of circadian body temperature
rhythm in Afghan pikas (Ochotona rufescens rufescens). Luo Z-W, Matsumoto T,
Ohwatari N, Shimazu M, Kosaka M. Trop Med, 38, 107-116, 1996.
- Rearing of plateau pika (Ochotona daurica) captured in Mongolia. Matsuzaki T, Saito M, Sakai A, Matsumoto T, Ganzorig S, Maeda Y. Exp Anim, 47(3), 203-206, 1998.
- Anatomical and neurochemical peculiarities of the pika retina: basis for lack of circadian rhythm of core temperature. Luo ZW, Kosaka M, Othman T, Piad JNC, Cao Y, Lee JB, Matsumoto T, Ohwatari N, Ichinose A, Mori K & Tonosaki A. Neurosci Lett, 259(1), 13-16, 1999.
Back To Matsumoto's Home Page
