The footage below, though only about 7 seconds long, will make your day:
The cute fur ball in the footage, the alpine pika, belongs to the pika family. In Chinese, they are called "shu tu," meaning "mouse rabbit." The little creature resembles a combination of the two. However, they are more closely related to rabbits rather than mice, which means they are not rodents.
The Alpine pika found in Altai Mountains in northwest China. Picture is a screen shot from the video clip provided by the CGTN Nature film crew.
China is a special home for pikas. The China Species Red List has included eight species of pika, seven of which are endemic to China. Though they are not yet under national protection, there is an urgent need to protect them.
Among these pikas, one is categorized as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, one is endangered and one is vulnerable. On the China Species Red List, their situation seems to be more serious: Five of the eight have been evaluated as endangered or critically endangered, with the others near threatened or vulnerable.
The Alpine pika hiding in the undergrowth of the the Altai Mountains in northwest China. Picture is a screen shot from the video clip provided by the CGTN Nature film crew.
The main threats for pikas are habitat loss and human activities: In some areas, overgrazing and pesticide use are causing their population to decline.
Pikas are an important link in the biological chain; many predators rely on them. Therefore, it is important for pikas to maintain a large enough population. If they drop to a level that is too low to support other animals, our loss will be much more than just pikas.
About Rare Animals in China
How many rare animals in China can you list? The giant panda, the red panda, the snub-nosed monkey, the snow leopard? We want to make sure you can name 100 or more.
China is home to rich biodiversity. This series will focus on the rare animals that inhabit China. Under national protection, they need us, and the first step of protection is to know who they are.
(Video clip credits to CGTN Nature film crew. Cover design by CGTN's Chen Yuyang)
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)