Maryum Khan
Have you ever wondered what a cross between rabbit and rat looks like?
We all have seen many animals in our lives before, every now and then we get news of some strange creatures discovered and sometimes we get news of another species that has been endangered. But this absolutely beautiful creature takes the award of being the most adorable new creature that has been discovered. It is not a newfound species but you must be seeing it for the first time due to it making very few appearances. This extremely cute animal is known as Ili pika, it is a species of mammal in the family Ochotonidae. Shockingly, it has been spotted for the first time after whole 20 years. Unfortunately, It also happens to be one of the rarest and most endangered mammals in the world. Scientists do not know a lot about these creatures due to the rarity of the species.
These adorable creatures who resemble teddy bears are actually distant relatives of rabbits. It explains why they have long ears. In 1983, Ili Pika was first discovered, they were found in the Tianshan Mountain range located in northwestern China but they were not documented again until 2014. After almost two decades, a conservationist named Li Weidong discovered Ili Pika again and captured the cutesy shy creature on his camera. According to Mr. Li Weidong, unfortunately, the species number declined by almost 70% since the early ’80s, with approximately less than 1,000 of them left in the wild. They are currently considered to be endangered. Mr. Li Weidong and his volunteers refer to these extremely adorable species as the “Magic Rabbit”, lovingly. It is very fitting though. Keep on scrolling down to see the picture of the rare animal Ili Pika…
1. Meet Ili Pika a.k.a ‘Magic Rabbit’. The cutest animal ever.
2. To me it looks like a mix of rat, rabbit and hamster all three together.
Aww, these are so cute. Ili Pika is such a tiny creature which makes it even more adorable. I had no idea that I would fall in love with this creature so soon. I really want to hold this cute creature in my arms and pet him on his head but sadly, it is impossible to do that since they are only found in China and they are almost extinct. It is so heartbreaking to know that such an extraordinary and cute creature would no longer exist if someone did not take any action against it. Mr. Li Weidong and his volunteers have also suspected that its populations might be declining due to global warming. Li Weidong told CNN, “I discovered the species, and I watched as it became endangered. If it becomes extinct in front of me, I’ll feel so guilty.” When he realized that literally no one was willing to help these adorable little creatures, Li decided to do something to help them himself. In 2014, organized a team of 20 volunteers. That way it would make his attempt to track down the cute animal easy. He did all that in order to establish this creature’s numbers and help conserve this endangered species. Such an inspiring person he is. All power to you, Mr. Li Weidong. Keep on scrolling down to see more pictures of this cute creature…
3. Aww! It is so tiny and extremely cute.
4. Here is our hero, Mr. Li Weidong.
Mr. Li Weidong retired early to study the creatures and at nearly 60-years-old he would not be able to hike up the treacherous Tianshan Mountains for long as he used to do before. It is really heartbreaking. “I’m almost 60, and soon I won’t be able to climb the Tianshan Mountains. So I really hope that an organization will have people study and protect the Ili Pika,” the conservationist added. Have you heard of Ili Pika Before or was it your first time learning about this endangered creature? Let us know in the comments down below…