Name: Pallas’s cat / Manul
Scientific name: Otocolobus manul
Older scientific name / synonym: Felis manul
Mongolian name: Мануул
Other English names: Pallas’s cat, Pallas’ cat, Manul
The Pallas’s cat, also called the Manul, is a small wild cat found across Central Asia. It is one of Mongolia’s special wild cats and is well adapted to cold, dry, rocky steppe and semi-desert environments.
The Pallas’s cat is about the size of a domestic cat, but it looks larger because of its very thick and long fur. It has a stocky body, short legs, a broad flat face, low-set rounded ears, and a thick bushy tail. These features give it a unique appearance and help it survive in harsh open landscapes.
Its coat colour can vary from grey to sandy brown or slightly reddish-brown. The tips of many hairs are pale or white, giving the fur a frosted appearance. This colour helps the Manul blend into rocks, dry grass, and steppe landscapes. Dark stripes can be seen on the cheeks, legs, and tail, and small dark spots may appear on the forehead.
The low-set ears of the Pallas’s cat are an important adaptation. Because its ears sit low on the sides of the head, the cat can hide behind rocks or low vegetation while watching for prey without being easily noticed. Its flat face and low body also help it stay hidden in open country.
The Pallas’s cat usually lives in rocky grasslands, mountain steppe, shrublands, semi-desert areas, and dry open habitats. It often uses rock crevices, caves, and abandoned burrows of marmots, foxes, or other animals for shelter. These dens are important for resting, hiding from predators, and raising kittens.
The Pallas’s cat is a solitary and secretive animal. It is most active around dawn, dusk, and sometimes at night. It usually avoids people and is difficult to see in the wild because of its camouflage and quiet behaviour.
The Manul is an ambush hunter. It does not usually chase prey over long distances because its short legs and stocky body make it less suited for fast running. Instead, it hides, stalks slowly, or waits near burrow entrances for prey to come out.
Its main food includes pikas, voles, gerbils, hamsters, jerboas, small marmots, birds, insects, and sometimes reptiles. Small mammals are especially important in its diet.
The Pallas’s cat is well adapted to cold climates. Its dense fur keeps it warm during freezing winters, and the longer fur on its belly helps protect it when lying or moving close to cold ground. Its thick tail can also help cover the body and paws in cold weather.
Female Pallas’s cats usually give birth in spring. A litter can have several kittens. The kittens are born in safe dens such as rock shelters or abandoned burrows, where they are protected from predators and harsh weather.
Although the Pallas’s cat is globally assessed as Least Concern, it still faces several threats in parts of its range. These include habitat disturbance, mining and infrastructure development, overgrazing, decline of prey animals, poisoning of rodents and pikas, hunting, accidental trapping, and attacks by domestic or herding dogs.
Protecting the Pallas’s cat is important because it is a unique wild cat of Mongolia’s steppe and mountain landscapes. Conserving this species also helps protect the wider rocky steppe and semi-desert ecosystems where many other wild animals live.
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