Ochotona sikimaria : A new rabbit mammal species from Sikkim
Q. A new species of small mammal in the rabbit family has been discovered in Sikkim. What is its scientific name?- Published on 26 Sep 16a. Ochotona sikimaria
b. Ochotoda sikimaria
c. Ochotonka sikimaria
d. Ochotoca sikimaria
ANSWER: Ochotona sikimaria
- A new species of a small mammal in the rabbit family has been discovered in higher altitudes of the Himalayas in Sikkim, according to the study which has held that it is an important part of the ecosystem
- Called Ochotona sikimaria, the new pika species was found based on a study measuring genetic data and skull measurements
- Study has been published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
- Members of the rabbit family belonging to this species are tailless and have been in news in N. America where climate change and rising temperatures are driving them to extinction
- The Sikkim Pika was compared to its close relatives before the new species was discovered
- Pikas are the most fascinating mammalian species and they do not hibernate
- They prepare for winter by collecting and storing hay piles for winter food
- Their vulnerability to increasing global temperatures needs to be further studied
- New species appears limited to Sikkim
- National Centre for Biological Sciences has searched for the species in Ladakh, Spiti, Arunachal Pradesh and Central Nepal without success
- Surveys in Bhutan, Nepal and China are also to be carried out to see if this Pika species can be found there
- Study also included morphological and ecological data of the species
- The Sikkim Pika is very different from the Moupin pika from the genetic and ecological perspective
- Discordance between genetics and morphology of pikas has never been reported before to this extent
