13 Furry Facts About Pallas’s Cat

Far across the world, an elusive—and adorable—wildcat called Pallas’s cat (also known as the manul) roams the grasslands and steppes of Central Asia and Eurasia. Get to know the flat-faced, furry kitty, which has been featured in memes and viral videos and recently received its own wildlife preserve in Asia’s Altai Mountains.

1. IT’S NAMED AFTER THE NATURALIST PETER PALLAS.

The German naturalist Peter Pallas first described the furry wildcat in 1776. He named the kitty Felis manul, and theorized that it was an ancestor of the Persian cat, thanks to its round face, luxurious coat, and stocky body. (He was wrong.)

2. ITS SCIENTIFIC NAME MEANS “UGLY-EARED” …

Later on, the cat’s scientific name was changed from Felis manul to Otocolobus manul—not exactly the most flattering moniker, since Otocolobus is Greek for “ugly-eared.”

3. … BUT ITS UNUSUAL EARS COME IN HANDY.

Some may consider the Pallas’s cat’s ears to be ugly, while others might think they’re adorable. Arguments aside, the cat’s round ears—which sit flat on the sides of its head—are one of its most distinguishing features. As Crystal DiMiceli, a wild animal keeper at the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York, explains in the above video, having low-positioned ears helps the cat conceal itself—they don’t poke up to reveal the animal’s position while it’s hiding or hunting.

4. IT HAS A DENSE, PLUSH COAT.

The coat of the Pallas’s cat is its true crowning glory. It’s longer and denser than any other coat belonging to a member of the Felid species (growing in even heavier in the winter), and the undercoat on its belly is twice as long as the fur covering the rest of its body. The shade ranges from silvery grey during the winter to a darker, red-toned hue during warmer months. (Some cats are also red, particularly in Central Asia.) Its broad head is streaked and speckled with dark markings, and its bushy tail is banded with stripes and a dark tip. These markings tend to appear darker during the summer.

5. ITS FUR BLENDS IN WITH ITS HABITAT, WHICH CONCEALS IT FROM PREDATORS.

Pallas’s cats live in areas ranging from Pakistan and northern India to central China, Mongolia, and southern Russia. According to Wild Cats of the World, by Luke Hunter, its body isn’t adapted for snow, so it sticks to cold, arid habitats—particularly grassy or rocky areas, which help conceal it from predators—at elevations of around 1500 to nearly 17,000 feet. The stocky cat isn’t a fast runner, so when it senses danger, it freezes and crouches flat and motionless on the ground, and its fur helps it blend in with its dry surroundings.

6. PALLAS’S CATS AREN’T FAT—THEY’RE JUST FURRY.

 
These felines typically weigh less than 12 pounds, and they’re usually only 2 feet or less in body length—meaning they’re not that much larger than an ordinary house cat.

7. THEIR PUPILS ARE ROUND INSTEAD OF VERTICAL.

Pallas’s cats do share one feature in common with larger wildcats, like lions and tigers: their eyes. Their pupils are round, whereas a house cat’s pupils are vertical and slit-shaped. Wondering why some cats have round pupils while others have vertical ones? A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that animals’ pupil shapes might indicate their role in the predator/prey food chain. They analyzed 214 species of land animals (including cats), and noted that species with vertical pupils tended to be ambush predators that were active during both day and night. In contrast, species with vertical pupils were often “active foragers,” meaning they chase their prey. Also, predators that are closer to the ground, like house cats, were prone to vertical pupils, whereas larger wildcats had round ones. Pallas’s cats are small, and they are primarily ambush hunters, so the jury’s still out on whether the study’s findings hold true for all creatures.

8. THEY SUBSIST MOSTLY ON PIKA.

Pallas’s cats are ambush hunters and spend much of their time hunting pika, a small mammal, and other critters like gerbils, voles, hares, ground squirrels, birds, and young marmots. Pika typically make up more than 50 percent of the cat’s diet. 

9. THEY MAY BE DISTANTLY RELATED TO THE LEOPARD CAT.

Peter Pallas thought the animal was related to the Persian cat. (We think it looks like a Maine Coon and a Scottish Fold had a baby and weaned it on steroid milk.) However, experts have uncovered evidence that the wildcat’s nearest—yet still pretty distant—relative might be the leopard cat.

10. THEY’RE NOT SOCIAL ANIMALS …

The Pallas’s cat is notoriously elusive and spends much of its time hiding in caves, crevices, or abandoned burrows.

11. … AND THEY DON’T SEEM TO LIKE EACH OTHER MUCH.

Pallas’s cats may be adorably fluffy, but they aren’t the world’s sweetest, most cuddly creatures. In fact, they’re very aggressive. Case in point: In The Wild Cat Book, authors Fiona and Mel Sunquist recount an anecdote provided by Bill Swanson, the Cincinnati Zoo’s director of animal research. Zookeepers thought that a litter of newborn Pallas’s cats were having difficulty breathing, but “when they listened closely, they realized that the noise they were hearing was the kittens growling and hissing at each other—before they had even opened their eyes!”

12. THEIR MATING PERIOD IS BRIEF.

Pallas’s cats mate between December and March; the females typically give birth between the end of March and May, after a gestation period of 66 to 75 days. Pallas’s cats usually give birth to three or four kittens, but litters can sometimes have as many as eight kittens. Kittens become independent by four to five months, and when they reach nine to ten months, they’re mature enough to reproduce. 

13. THEY’RE CLASSIFIED AS “NEAR-THREATENED.”

It’s estimated that Pallas’s cats can live up to six years in the wild, but thanks to predators and other dangers, their lifespan is likely to be half this length. In captivity, they’ve been known to survive for nearly 12 years.

In 2002, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the Pallas’s cat as “near threatened.” Many factors contribute to their low numbers, including farming, agricultural activities, mining, and poisoning campaigns aimed at reducing pika and marmot populations. They’re also killed in traps meant for wolves and foxes, or by domestic dogs. And despite international trading bans and legal protections in some countries, they’re often hunted for their fur. (The cat’s fat and organs are also used to make traditional medicines.) 

Scientists don’t have enough data to estimate the Pallas’s cat’s population size, but due to their scarcity and the myriad threats they face, experts believe that their numbers have dropped by 10 to 15 percent over the past decade or so. To better understand—and protect—the animal, an international team of conservationists recently secured a 12-mile swath of land in Sailyugemsky Nature Park, which lies in the Altai Mountains between Kazakhstan and Mongolia, as a sanctuary for the rare cat. There, they hope to monitor its population, study its habitat, and build a database of information detailing encounters with it. 

Additional Source: Wild Cats of the World