Animal
12:26, 01-May-2019
Life on Plateau: Plateau pika, a life-death game with birds
Updated
13:03, 01-May-2019
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The small, chunky creature with thick fur is the plateau pika. As one of the cutest animals on the plateau, they are favored by people and other wild animals, some of which are friends, but some of them are predators.
The plateau pika is a rabbit-like mammal dwelling on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau between 3,000 meters to 5,000 meters above sea level. Living in the most hostile environment, the pika has to confront more than one predator.
A plateau pika in Zadoi County of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. /Photo by CGTN's Xing Fangyu.
A plateau pika in Zadoi County of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province. /Photo by CGTN's Xing Fangyu.
When certain animals choose to hibernate during the harsh winter, the plateau pika still tries to find food in the snow, where starving foxes and wolves are also searching for a meal. But the most dangerous are raptors.
The upland buzzard, or "the pika cleaner," is one of the raptors. When the land is covered by white snow, it's much easier for the upland buzzard to spot the brown pika.
A chunky plateau pika sits outside of its burrows. /Photo by CGTN's Xing Fangyu
A chunky plateau pika sits outside of its burrows. /Photo by CGTN's Xing Fangyu
The plateau pika is an excellent digger. They have a deep and extensive network of tunnels for shelter and safety. The upland buzzard prefers to wait outside of the burrow, with a 15 to 30-centimeter distance to the hole. When a pika comes out, it will strike.
Fortunately, the pika has its alleys. As a pika has more than one burrow, some small birds like the Tibetan snowfinch and hume's ground jay will nest in pika burrows. In return, snowfinch will warn the pika if there's a killer near their community.
A Tibetan ground tit near the pika's burrows. /Photo by CGTN's Xing Fangyu
A Tibetan ground tit near the pika's burrows. /Photo by CGTN's Xing Fangyu
The Tibetan ground tit was believed to nest in the pika's burrows, but a recent study found out the birds excavate their own burrows. However, as the pika's neighbor, the Tibetan ground tit also plays the same role as the snowfinch when danger comes.
More story about pikas:
(Top image designed by CGTN's Liu Shaozhen. Video by CGTN's Li Yunqi and Xing Fangyu.)
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)