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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 Pika (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 islands 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, though it has been suggested that it may have survived until the 18th century on the island of Tavolara Island based on a written account, but this has alternately been argued to refer to Brown rat.
Prolagus sardus weighed about . This is more than its ancestor Prolagus figaro, which is the only other member of Prolagus that was found in Sardinia and weighed about , and is larger than most mainland species of Prolagus.
Compared to mainland species of Prolagus, P. sardus had larger and more hypsodont (high crowned) teeth.Chiara Angelone (2025). 9788460964728, Societat d'Història Natural de les Balears. . ISBN 9788460964728 The Sardinian pika experienced Anagenesis, with an increasing body size and shifting dental morphology over time.
During the Pleistocene, the Sardinian pika lived as part of a highly Endemism island ecosystem where only a small number (~12) of terrestrial mammal were present, including the dwarf mammoth Mammuthus lamarmorai, the medium-sized deer Praemegaceros cazioti the shrew Asoriculus similis, the field-rat Rhagamys orthodon, the vole Microtus henseli, the mole Talpa tyrrhenica and three species of otters ( Algarolutra, Sardolutra and the giant Megalenhydris). The Sardinian pika was likely preyed on by the two native species of terrestrial carnivores, a canine (the Sardinian dhole), and a Mustelidae ( Enhydrictis) which were specialized for hunting small prey. Other likely predators include birds of prey such as the endemic owl species Bubo insularis.
Humans first arrived in Corsica-Sardinia around 10,000 years Before Present (BP). The presence of Prolagus facilitated the establishment of the first human communities of the islands. Jean-Denis Vigne found clear evidence that the Sardinian pika was hunted and eaten by people. He found that many of the Sardinian pikas' limb bones were broken and burnt at one end, suggesting that this animal had been roasted and eaten by the Neolithic colonists of Corsica.
The Sardinian pika became extinct in Sardinia sometime after 810 BC (based on radiocarbon dating), with records from Corsica suggesting that species survived there until sometime between 393 BC and the 6th century AD (overlapping with the period of Ancient Carthage and Roman Corsica). Its extinction was possibly due to agricultural practices, the introduction of predators (dogs, cats and small mustelids) and ecological competitors (rodents, rabbits and hares). Transmission of pathogens by rabbits and hares introduced to Sardinia and Corsica by the Romans may have also played a role in the species's extinction. Other endemic small mammals like the shrew Asoriculus similis, the Tyrrhenian field rat, and the Tyrrhenian vole, probably also disappeared from Corsica and Sardinia around the same time.
Survival of the Sardinian pika up into modern history has been hypothesised from the description of unknown mammals by later Sardinian authors; however, this interpretation remains dubious owing to anatomical discrepancies. In 1774, Francesco Cetti wrote that the island of Tavolara Island off the coast of Sardinia had "giant rats whose burrows are so abundant that one might think the surface of the soil had been recently turned over by pigs", which has often been taken as a reference to the Sardinian pika.Kurtén, Björn (1968) Pleistocene Mammals of Europe. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London However, this was questioned by Barbara Wilkens in a 2000 publication, who suggested that it was more likely that the animals mentioned by Cetti were Brown rat.Wilkens B. (2000) - Osservazioni sulla presenza in epoca recente del prolago sardo a Tavolara secondo le notizie di Francesco Cetti. Observations Atti 3° Convegno Nazionale di Archeozoologia (Siracusa, 2000), 217 -222. (in Italian)
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