Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul), also called the manul, is a small wild cat having a broad but patchy distribution in the grasslands and montane steppe of Central Asia. The species is negatively impacted by habitat degradation, prey base decline, and hunting, and has therefore been classified as Near Threatened by IUCN since 2002.^[2]

Pallas’s cat was named after the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas, who first described the species in 1776 under the binomial Felis manul.^[3]

Characteristics

Pallas's cat is about the size of a domestic cat, with a 46 to 65 centimetres (18 to 26 in) long body and a 21 to 31 centimetres (8.3 to 12 in) long tail. It weighs 2.5 to 4.5 kilograms (5.5 to 9.9 lb). The combination of its stocky posture and long, dense fur makes it appear stout and plushy. Its fur is ochre with dark vertical bars on the torso and forelegs. The winter coat is greyer and less patterned than the summer coat. There are clear black rings on the tail and dark spots on the forehead. The cheeks are white with narrow black stripes running from the corners of the eyes. The chin and throat are also white, merging into the greyish silky fur of the underparts. Concentric white and black rims around the eyes accentuate their rounded shape. The legs are proportionately shorter than those of other cats, the ears are set very low and wide apart, and it has unusually short claws. The face is shortened compared with other cats, giving it a flattened face. The shorter jaw has fewer teeth than is usual among felids, with the first pair of upper premolars being absent.^[4]

Distribution and habitat

Pallas's cat is native to the steppe regions of Central Asia, at elevations up to 5,050 metres (16,570 ft).^[5] They are found in the Transcaucasus and Transbaikal regions of Russia, and, less frequently, in the Altai, Tyva, and Buryatia Republics. They also inhabit Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Kashmir in India, and across much of western China, especially in the Tibetan Plateau.^[6] In 1997, they were reported for the first time as being present in the eastern Sayan Mountains.^[7]

Populations in the Caspian Sea region, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, are declining, and increasingly isolated.^[8][9] In 2008, an individual was camera-trapped in Iran's Khojir National Park for the first time.^[10]

Distribution of subspecies

Pallas's cat at the Edinburgh Zoo

Three subspecies are recognized:^[11][1]

• Otocolobus manul manul (Pallas, 1776) — inhabits the northern part of the range: Jida River, south of Lake Baikal, eastern Siberia;
• Otocolobus manul nigripecta (Hodgson, 1842) — inhabits Tibet and Indian Kashmir;
• Otocolobus manul ferruginea (Ognev, 1928) — inhabits the south-western part of the range: the mountain ridge of Missanev, Kopet-Dag Mountains, Transcapia, northern Iran, south-western Turkestan, Afghanistan, Baluchistan.

Ecology and behaviour

Pallas's Cat at the Zurich Zoo

Pallas's cats are solitary. Both males and females scent mark their territory. They spend the day in caves, rock crevices, or marmot burrows, and emerge in the late afternoon to begin hunting. They are not fast runners, and hunt primarily by ambush or stalking, using low vegetation and rocky terrain for cover. They feed largely on diurnally active prey species such as gerbils, pikas, voles and Chukar partridges, and sometimes catch young marmots.^[4]

Reproduction

The breeding season is relatively short due to the extreme climate in the cat's native range. Oestrus lasts between 26 and 42 hours, which is also shorter than in many other felids. Pallas's cats give birth to a litter of around two to six kittens after a gestation period of 66 to 75 days, typically in April or May. Such large litters may compensate for a high rate of infant mortality in the harsh environment. The young are born in sheltered dens, lined with dried vegetation, feathers, and fur. The kittens weigh around 90 grams (3.2 oz) at birth, and have a thick coat of fuzzy fur, which is replaced by the adult coat after around two months. They are able to begin hunting at four months, and reach adult size at six months. Pallas's cats have been reported to live up to eleven years in captivity.^[4]

Threats

Female manul. Note "pinhole" shape of contracted pupil.

The manul has long been hunted for its fur in relatively large numbers in China, Mongolia and Russia, although international trade in manul pelts has largely ceased since the late 1980s.^[12] There are approximately 1,000 hunters of Pallas's cats in Mongolia, with a mean estimated harvest of two cats per year. They are also shot because they can be mistaken for marmots, which are commonly hunted, and trapped incidentally in leghold traps set for wolves and foxes and snares set for marmot and hares. Their fat and organs are used as medicine in Mongolia and Russia, and they are killed by domestic dogs. While Mongolia has not recorded any trophy exports, skin exports have grown since 2000, with 143 reported exported in 2007.^[2]

Conservation

Otocolobus manul is listed in CITES Appendix II. Hunting of this felid is prohibited in all range countries except Mongolia, where it has no legal protection despite being classified as Near Threatened in the country. Since 2009, the felid is legally protected in Afghanistan, banning all hunting and trade in its parts within the country.^[2]

In captivity

Captive-breeding of Pallas's cat is difficult. Although it breeds well, survival rates are low owing to infection. This has been attributed to an under-developed immune system, as its natural habitat is isolated and it would not normally be exposed to infection.^[13] A female was artificially inseminated for the first time at Cincinnati Zoo and gave birth to three kittens in June 2011.^[14] The Red River Zoo in Fargo, North Dakota has had several successful litters.^{[citation needed]}

Taxonomic history

Pallas's cat was initially placed in the genus Felis.^[3] In 1858, the Russian explorer and naturalist Nikolai Severtzov proposed the name Otocolobus for the species.^[15] The zoologist Reginald Innes Pocock recognized the taxonomic classification of Otocolobus in 1907, described several skulls in detail, and considered the manul being an aberrant form of Felis.^[16]

Following genetic studies, the monotypic genus Otocolobus has been proposed to be placed with the genera Felis and Prionailurus in the tribe Felini, because of a close phylogenetic relationship.^[17] It is estimated that Otocolobus manul diverged from a leopard cat ancestor approximately 5.19 million years ago.^[18]

References