Pallas's Cat
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae

[Photo] Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul) at Zurich Zoo (Switzerland). Date: 30 July 2006. Author Karin Sturzenegger (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Karin_st). License: public domain.

Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul) (or Felis manul, depending on the source), also known as the Manul, is a small wild cat of Central Asia. It is about the size of a House Cat, at 60 cm (24 in) long, not including its 25 cm (10 in) tail, and an average weight of 3.6 kg (8 lbs). Its fur is ochre in color with vertical bars, which are sometimes not visible due to the thick fur.

This cat has several features that distinguish it from other felines. Most strikingly, it has round pupils. Its legs are short, the rump is rather bulky, and the fur is long and thick. The combination of its stout posture and its thick fur makes it appear especially buxom and plushy. The fur changes between the seasons: the winter coat is greyer and less patterned. Its ears are set low and give the cat a somewhat owl-like appearance. Because of its relatively flat face, it was once thought that it was the ancestor of the Persian cat breed.

Pallas's Cat inhabits the Asian steppes up to heights of 4000 m (13,000 ft). It hunts at night for rodents, pikas and birds.

For a long time Pallas's Cat was hunted for its fur, but it is now protected in most areas, for instance in China. Since this cat feeds on agricultural pests, it is regarded as beneficial. However, poisoning of pest rodents and pikas may also affect the cat.

The Pallas's Cat is either the most primitive member of the genus Felis, or a basal member of the genus Prionailurus (retaining the genus Otocolobus).

Subspecies:

Otocolobus manul, Mongolia, western China
Otocolobus manul ferruginea, Iran, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Otocolobus nigripecta, Kashmir, Nepal, Tibet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pallas's_Cat

The text in this page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article shown in above URL. It is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.