By michael Triepke
Geographic Range
Ochotona rufescens is distributed across mountainous middle Asia, from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran to Armenia and SW Turkmenistan. (Hoffman et al., 2005)
Biogeographic Regions:
palearctic 
(native ).
Habitat
Afghan pikas are found in mountainous areas, often on talus slopes or in other areas with rocks. They also construct burrows in dry soils. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005)
These animals are found in the following types of habitat:
temperate ; terrestrial .
Terrestrial Biomes:
savanna or grassland ; mountains .
Physical Description
Average length and weight of O. rufescens is not reported but members of Ochotona weigh 125 to 400 g. Males and females are monomorphic. During the summer, they have cream colored collars that are outlined with a russet pelage. Afghan pikas have small heads with small round ears. They have very short legs with dense fur covering the bottoms of their paws for added insulation. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005; Nowak, 1999)
Some key physical features:
endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry .
Sexual dimorphism: sexes alike.
Reproduction
Afghan pikas breed up to five times a year.
Afghan pikas breed during the warm months.
Mating systems vary with habitat quality between populations. Monogamy and polygyny have been observed in this species. (Nowak, 1999)
Mating systems:
monogamous ; polygynous .
Ochotona rufescens has a high rate of reproduction. Up to eleven young may be produced in one litter and females can have up to five litters in extended breeding seasons. Gestation periods for O. rufescens are not reported. Other species of pika generally have a thirty day gestation period. It also takes an average of thirty days for a mother pika to wean her young. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005; Nowak, 1999)
Key reproductive features:
iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization ; viviparous .
At birth, pikas are reported to weigh roughly 9 g. They have altricial young. Parental care consists of approximately 30 days of feeding and protection in the burrow before they are forced to disperse and fend for themselves. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005; Nowak, 1999)
Parental investment:
altricial ; pre-fertilization (provisioning, protecting: female); pre-hatching/birth (provisioning: female, protecting: female); pre-weaning/fledging (provisioning: female, protecting).
Lifespan/Longevity
There are no reports on the lifespan of O. rufescens. Other Species in the genus Ochotona have been reported to live up to almost eight years. However, typically, pikas live for only a few years in the wild and many pikas do not live through their first winter. (Nowak, 1999)
Behavior
Afghan pikas generally live in small family groups and share daily activities such as watching for predators and gathering food. Density is up to 30 animals per acre. Afghan pikas do not hibernate. They collect plants and stack them in “hay piles” to dry. Once dried, the plants are stored in burrows for later consumption. They rely on hay for bedding and food. It is also not uncommon for Afghan pikas to steal bedding and food from other pikas or from other small mammals or birds. Pikas are often active both day and night, there is no report of daily activity patterns for O. rufescens in the literature. (Hoffman et al., 2005; Nowak, 1999)
Home Range
Home range has not been reported.
Communication and Perception
In English, pika is translated as “whistling hare.”” Most pikas use whistling sounds to communicate with each other. Afghan pikas are unique in that they do not have a well developed larynx, used to make vocalizations. This is not to say that they make no noise, but reports of their vocalizations are not found in the literature. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005; Hoffman et al., 2005)
Like other mammals, Afghan pikas are expected to use chemical cues extensively in communication and perception as well.
Other communication keywords:
scent marks .
Food Habits
Afghan pikas eat thistles and other xeric plants. They make hay piles to allow gathered plants to dry. Once dried, the hay is then cached away in burrows. Caches are typically restocked twice a year. This occurs once during the spring and once in the fall. Afghan pikas also steal food and bedding material from other burrows. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005)
Plant Foods:
leaves; wood, bark, or stems; seeds, grains, and nuts.
Foraging Behaviors:
stores or caches food .
Predation
No report on predators is available. Given their small body size, it is likely that Afghan pikas are preyed on by terrestrial carnivores and raptors.
Ecosystem Roles
Afghan pikas impact vegetation communities throughout their range. They are also likely to be important prey animals for birds of prey. (Nowak, 1999)
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
Afghan pikas are considered agricultural pests on crops and orchards in some parts of their range. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005)
Ways that these animals might be a problem for humans:
crop pest.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Afghan pikas are important members of their native ecosystems.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: [link]:
Lower Risk - Least Concern.
US Federal List: [link]:
No special status.
CITES: [link]:
No special status.
State of Michigan List: [link]:
No special status.
Ochotona rufescens is listed as lower risk on the IUCN list. (Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2005; Hoffman et al., 2005)
Contributors
Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
michael Triepke (author), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Chris Yahnke (editor, instructor), University of Wisconsin Stevens Point.
