Sardinian pika

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The Sardinian pika (Prolagus sardus) is an extinct species of lagomorph that was endemic to the Corsica-Sardinia archipelago in the Western Mediterranean. It was the last surviving member of Prolagus, a genus of lagomorph with a fossil record spanning 20 million years once widespread throughout Europe during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. Its closest living relatives are modern pikas (which all belong to the genus Ochotona), from which it is estimated to have diverged around 30 million years ago. The abundance of remains suggests that the species was once common on the islands, probably forming a main prey item of the extinct Sardinian dhole. Evidence has been found indicating Sardinian pikas were consumed as food by the island's early inhabitants following human colonisation of the islands around 10,000 years ago. The species likely became extinct during the Roman occupation of the islands (sometime between around 400 BC to 600 AD) probably due to the introduction of invasive species...

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