Rare, Adorable Species Found Again in China

According to Carrie Arnold of National Geographic, two decades occurred before ecologic researcher Weidong Li once again spotted the elusive Ili pika (Ochotona iliensis) species in northwestern CHINA. Specifically, the undoubtedly adorable and small mammal was discovered in the summer of 2014 by Li and her volunteering team in the Tien Shan mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu. Also simply known as Xinjiang, this autonomous province is comprised of dozens of ethnic groups like the Uighurs and Han people. The Ili pika is about 8 inches or 20 centimeters in length and is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.

Check out the National Geographic story for a delightful image of the beautiful and downright cute Ili pika species!