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Rabbits are cute, and we all love them. You will probably never see it with your own eyes, but the Ili Pika is the cutest breed of rabbit living on Earth. It is even nicknamed the “magic bunny”. People who have seen the Ili Pika describe it as an extremely cute furry rabbit with big bear-like ears. Li Weidong, a Chinese conservationist, took photos of the furry animal he spotted in the Tianshan Mountains in Northern China.
The Ili Pika is not your usual rabbit. It measures about 20 centimeters long (8 inches).
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The rabbit used to be known as Ochotona iliensis. Li Weidong, the conservationist who discovered it in 1992, got seduced and decided to rename it after his village: Ili Pika.
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“I thought it was the most beautiful and bizarre creature I’d ever seen. I couldn’t believe my eyes.” says Li Weidong.
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The Ili Pika is accustomed to living in high altitude locations (between 9,200 and 13,450 feet)
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Ili Pikas live in small rock caves and feed off mountain plants and herbs.
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With less than 1000 animals left, the Ili Pika are disappearing.
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Scientists say that close to 70% of the population has vanished since 1983
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Ili Pikas are endangered due to climate change, but also because human beings have invaded their grazing area.
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The same conservationist who discovered the Ili Pika 23 years ago, spotted one last summer in China.
sources: nationalgeographic, dailymail, bbc
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