If you’ve never seen this animal before and are wondering if it’s a figment of someone’s adorable imagination, don’t worry: We all feel that way. In fact, the **ili pika** has been missing for about 20 years, hiding somewhere in the mountains of northwestern China. The pika as completely escaped study by scientists, and since it was discovered in 1983, it has only been seen by about 29 human beings. As a result, not much is known about this animal, other than the fact that it’s so cute we want to take it home and put a bonnet on its head. These photos were captured by the species’ original discoverer, scientist Weidong Li. Li and his team set up shop in the mountains to finally find the pika, and when they did, they snapped some long-overdue photos. **Check out the mysterious little fella below – isn’t he the sweetest little mountain dweller you ever did see?**
