page_title: Turkestan red pika
section_title: Distribution and habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Turkestan red pika / Distribution and habitat
caption_attribution_description: English: Scree slope at the bottom of Yamnuska, Alberta, Canada. The slope forms the top of ski runs
context_page_description: The Turkestan red pika is a species of mammal in the family Ochotonidae. The summer fur at its back is bright rufous and the ventral fur is white or ochraceous. The winter dorsal fur is pale brown and the ventral fur is white or light ochraceous in colour. It is found in the mountains of western Xinjiang in China, and sporadically also in the central Asian mountains in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The female has a low fertility rate, and gives birth to offspring during the breeding season from spring to summer. She generally produces two litters each year, with two to six young. It is rated as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species, but it is considered to be near-threatened within the China part of its range.
context_section_description: The region of Turkestan is present in central Asia between the Gobi Desert and the Caspian Sea, and comprises  Xinjiang, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Turkestan red pika is found in the mountains in western Xinjiang in China, and sporadically in the central Asian mountains such as the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, and the Tien Shan Mountains in southeastern Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and southeastern Kazakhstan. It is also probably found in northern Afghanistan. It is considered to be commonly found in the Iskanderkul Lake area of Tajikistan, and the Great Alma-Ata Lake area in Kazakhstan. Its range is allopatric with that of the Chinese red pika.
  It is a rock-dwelling pika which usually inhabits talus deposits (collection of broken rock pieces at the base of cliffs, volcanoes, or valley shoulders, accumulated due to periodic rockfall from adjacent cliff faces) and takes shelter in large boulders. It is typically found at moderate elevations of less than 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) from sea level, despite the availability of the talus environment.
caption: Talus at the bottom of Mount Yamnuska, Alberta, Canada
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