Conservation Status
Threatened.
Description
Its fur is ochre in colour with vertical bars, which are sometimes not visible due to the thick fur. The hair on its underparts and tail is nearly twice as long as on the top and sides.This cat has several features which distinguish it from other felines. Most strikingly, it has round pupils. Its legs are short, its rump is rather bulky, and its fur long and thick. The combination of its stocky posture and thick fur makes it appear especially stout and plushy. Its coat changes with the seasons: the winter coat is greyer and less patterned than the summer coat. The ears are set low and give the cat a somewhat owl-like appearance. Because of its relatively flat face, it was once thought that Pallas's Cat was the ancestor of the Persian cat breed.
Size
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).
Habitat
The manul is adapted to cold arid environments and has a wide distribution through Central Asia, but is relatively specialized in its habitat requirements. It is found in stony alpine desert and grassland habitats, but is generally absent from lowland sandy desert basins. It is strongly associated with flat, rolling steppe and south-facing slopes where deep snow cover does not accumulate. Exposed rock outcrops are a strong characteristic of its habitat.
Diet
Pikas (a chinchilla-like relative of the rabbit) are the largest part of the Manul diet. However they are also known to eat rodents, birds and hares.
Breeding
Litters of typically 3-4 but as many as 8 are born after gestation of 66-67 days. The Manul can live as long as 12 years in captivity.
Range
The Pallas cat occurs primarily in the central Asian steppe grassland regions of Mongolia, China and the Tibetan Plateau, at an elevation of 5,050 m. In Russia, Pallas's cat occurs sporadically in the Transcaucasus and Transbaikal regions, along the border with north-eastern Kazakhstan, and along the border with Mongolia and China in the Altai, Tyva, Buryatia, and Chita republics. They are widely distributed in areas of uplands and intermountain depressions as well as mountain steppe in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Other Names
Pallas's cat (English)
chat manul (French)
Manul (German)
gato manul, gato de Pallas (Spanish)
yalami (Bashkir)
malem (Bukharian)
tu sun, wulun, manao, yang shihli (Chinese)
psk kuhey (Dari: Afghanistan)
malin (Kazakhstan, Mongolia)
madail (Kyrgyzstan)
ribilik (Ladakh, Ustyurt region)
manul (Russia)
sabanchi (Smirech'e and Kazakh)
mana (Soyot)
molun (Uygur)
malin, dala mushugi (Uzbek)
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| Manul (Pallas Cat) (Otocolobus manul) |
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