Pallas’s Cats

About Pallas’s Cat:

• The Pallas’s cat, or manul (Otocolobus manul), is a small, long-haired cat (family Felidae).
• It was named Pallas’s cat after Peter Simon Pallas, who first described it in 1776 based on specimens collected near Lake Baikal, Russia.
• Distribution:
  • They are primarily found in Central Asia, with their range extending to western Iran, Mongolia, China, Russia (on the border of Mongolia and China), Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
  • In these regions, these cats inhabit mountainous plains and semi-desert foothills.
• Features:
  • It is a soft-furred animal about the size of a house cat and is pale silvery gray or light brown in colour.
  •  Head and body length ranges from 45 to 60 centimetres (18 to 24 inches) with an additional 23–30 cm for the tail; weight ranges from 2.5 to 3.5 kilograms (5.5 to 7.7 pounds).
  • The Pallas’s cat is distinguished by abroad head with high-set eyes and low-set ears.
  • The end of its tail is ringed and tipped with black, and some individuals have vague, dark markings on the body. 
  • The fur of the underparts is about twice as long as that of the upperparts and possibly represents an adaptation to the cat’s habitual lying and crouching on cold ground.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
  • CITES: Appendix II 

Q1: What is a snow leopard?

It is a large, long-haired Asian cat, classified as either Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia in the family Felidae. Snow leopards live across a vast area in northern and central Asia's high mountains, including the Himalayan region. In the Himalayas, they live in high alpine areas, mostly above the tree line and up to 18,000 feet in elevation. They are found in 12 countries, including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia, and Mongolia.

Source: TOI