This Fluffy Feline, Known As The Pallas’s Cat, Is Native To Asia And Known For Its Very Funny Facial Expressions
In the grasslands and steppes of Central Asia, there lives a fluffy feline called the Pallas’s cat. The wildcat is known for its funny facial expressions, making them popular in Mongolia and Russia, where they are most commonly found.
Pallas’s cats are named after German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas, who was the first to describe them in 1776. The flat faces of Pallas’s cats are what contributes to their famous grumpy expressions. They also have large eyes with round pupils and dense, plush coats.
The coat of the Pallas’s cat causes it to appear bigger than it actually is. Their grayish-brown fur is the longest and thickest in the feline world, but underneath it all, they are about the size of a house cat.
The long fur helps them stay warm during winters at high elevations and camouflages them from predators. In the summer, their coats change from a silvery gray to a reddish tone.
One of the feline’s most distinguishing features is its small, round ears, which sit flat on the sides of its head. Not only are its ears adorable, but they also play a crucial role in its survival. The low-positioned ears allow the cat to conceal itself while it’s hiding or hunting.
According to Jim Sanderson, Ph.D., with the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation, the small ears of the Pallas’s cats also help them preserve body heat in the brutally cold areas of Mongolia and Russia.
The cats inhabit other places throughout Central Asia as well, including Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, central China, and northern India.
Pallas’s cats rest during the day in dens they create in small caves or underneath rocks. They are active at night, hunting for critters such as pika, gerbils, voles, hares, and birds. Pika are their prey of choice, making up more than 50 percent of their diets.
The Pallas’s cat is notoriously anti-social, spending much of its time hiding in burrows and crevices. Young kittens live in family groups for up to a year after birth, but they go off on their own as adults. Pallas’s cats may look sweet and cuddly, but in reality, they are quite aggressive, even toward one another.
Photo 121942566 © Ondřej Prosický – Dreamstime.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual cat
The biggest threat to Pallas’s cats is being poached by humans for their meat and fur, the latter of which is used to line coats, gloves, and hats. Since they live in open grassland habitats, they are easily spotted and killed.
Conservation efforts are made a bit tricky due to the wildcat’s natural habitat. Pallas’s cats are built for living in high altitudes. Removing them from this environment to lower areas can expose them to viruses and bacteria that their immune systems are vulnerable to. As a result, they often do not survive in captivity.
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