Pay a visit to rocky snow-capped mountains in Hokkaido and we may hear a sharp cry from time to time.
The cry belongs to the northern pika.
It is difficult to catch a glimpse of this extremely cautious creature as it moves swiftly around the rocky mountain terrain.
However, every now and again it comes to a standstill as if to bask in the sunlight.
With small, round ears and short legs, the northern pika's primitive features make it a living fossil in comparison to other rabbits.
The rabbit family is thought to have appeared around 37 million years ago in what is now known as Central Asia.
While it is not known for certain when the evolution of common burrowing rabbits and pikas branched off,
prairie inhabiting burrowing rabbits spread from Europe to North Africa, and the cold climate inhabiting pikas spread towards Siberia.
The easily preyed upon rabbit has tended to inhabit moorlands and cold areas which have limited vegetation for food.
In order to adapt, rabbits have developed their caecum to extract nourishment from even the most indigestible twigs and tree barks.
The rabbit’s caecum is home to numerous symbiotic bacteria which ferment digestive products to produce vitamins.
Rabbits have adapted to moorlands by eating the fermented waste produced by their caecum.
With the onset of the ice age, pikas moved south in search of new foraging grounds as ice sheet expanded.
The existence of pikas in Hokkaido is a relic of the last ice age.
The northern pika wasn’t the only living thing to cross over to Hokkaido during the ice age.
Such birds, insects, and plants can be seen today in the snowy mountain ranges.
One such plant, wild rosemary, has a surprising connection with the northern pika.
Non-hibernating northern pika gather wild rosemary leaves to store along with caecum feces in order to supplement nutritional deficiency in winter.
Wild rosemary contains a volatile substance similar to camphor that prevents mold from developing on the feces.
Many plants in cold areas have toxic constituents in order that they may survive in a harsh natural environment.
Pikas take advantage of one such example.
Humans do not have such refined sensors with which to measure the natural world.
However, humankind posses the power of analysis, one that goes beyond our natural limitations.
The protection of this diverse and beautiful earth through the analysis of nature is a mission that has been entrusted to humankind.