Are pikas rats or rabbits?

Carnivora 1 genus is commonly known as pika, also known as chirping mouse and stone rabbit, such as plateau pika. It is slightly like a mouse, with short and round ears, leaving only traces on the tail and hiding it in a coat. Because the tooth structure (such as two pairs of upper incisors), feeding mode and behavior are similar to those of rabbits, it is named. * * * About 23 species, mainly distributed in Asia, Europe and North America.

The pika is small, with a body length of 10.5 ~ 28.5 cm and an ear length of10.6 ~ 3.8 cm. The hind limbs are slightly longer or almost as long as the forelimbs; There is no supraorbital process on the skull; There are only two molars on both sides of the upper jaw. Men have no scrotum, and women have 2 ~ 3 pairs of nipples; The whole body fur is thick and soft, and the native sheep are rich in down, which is related to their living in high latitude or high altitude areas; The coat is sandy yellow, grayish brown, dark brown, light red, reddish brown and brown, and the coat color in summer is brighter or darker than that in winter. Habitat in all kinds of grasslands, mountain forest edges and exposed cliffs. In Asia, living at an altitude of 1200 ~ 5 100 meters; In North America, it lives between 90 and 4000 meters above sea level. Dig holes or use natural crevices to live in groups. During the day, I often scream and run short. Not hibernating, most people have the habit of storing food. The breeding period is from April to September (or extended to 65438+ 10 month), with 1 ~ 3 litters per year, with 2 ~1/kloc-0 per litter.

On the grassland of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is common for brown-backed crows and snow finches to enter and leave pika caves during the day. According to the analysis, pikas can call the police with the help of birds' alarm sounds, and birds can use caves to avoid the strong radiation of the sun or storms and hail. China ancient books called this biological phenomenon "birds and mice are alike".

There are two kinds of North American pika, namely North American pika and spotted-necked pika; There are 1 species in Europe, namely Alpine pika (see Alpine pika); ; The rest are all concentrated in Asia. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, 14 species, is the distribution center and evolution center of the living pika.

The pikas, such as Daur pikas and black-lipped pikas, which inhabit the grasslands, not only eat a lot of grass, but also have dense caves and runways, which seriously damage large pastures and cause soil erosion.