Felidae Author Don E. Wilson Author Russell A. Mittermeier text 2009 2009-01-31 Lynx Edicions Barcelona Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores 54 168 book chapter 83716 10.5281/zenodo.6376899 649319d4-ab3a-4291-ab8e-cae1442a76ec 978-84-96553-49-1 6376899 28. Pallas’s Cat Otocolobus manul French: Manul / German: Manul / Spanish: Manul Other common names: Manul , Steppe Cat Taxonomy. Felis manul Pallas, 1776 , S of Lake Baikal, Russia . Three subspecies recognized. Subspecies and Distribution. O. m. manul Pallas, 1776 — Lake Baikal region S through Mongolia to N & NW China . O. m. ferrugineus Ognev, 1928 — Kazakhstan S to Iran and Pakistan , including lowlands S of the Caucasus and W of the Caspian Sea to Armenia . O. m. nigripectus Hodgson, 1842 — Kashmir to Nepal , the Tibetan highlands, and E to C & SW China . Descriptive notes. Head-body 46-65 cm,tail 20.6-31 cm; weigh 2.5-4. 5 kg . Coat color variable from silvery-buff to orange red. Winter coat is grayer and less patterned than summer coat. A compact, shortlegged felid with long, dense fur. Thick, bushy tail marked with five or six narrow black rings and a broad black tip. Small, rounded ears are set low on the sides of the broad head. Backs of ears are buff, grayish, or rust. Forehead and top of head marked with black spots. Two parallel black stripes extend downward from eyes to the cheeks. Race ferrugineus is often reddish and has the fewest stripes and nigipectus has the most pronounced stripe pattern. Habitat. Steppe and semi-desert areas with rock outcrops and talus slopes. Not usually found in areas with continuous snow cover, or in areas where snow depths exceed 10 cm , as it has difficulty moving in loose, deep snow. Dens, which may be in a rock crevices, marmot burrows, or under a boulder, are used year round. High altitude steppe up to 3000-4000 m. Food and Feeding. Diet consists mainly of pikas, gerbils, voles, and hamsters, ground squirrels, hares, sandgrouses, and partridges. Stalks or ambushes prey near rocks and burrows. Not adapted to running. Activity patterns. Hunts mainly at dusk and in the early morning. Often seen basking outside its den during the day. Movements, Home range and Social organization. Nothing known. Breeding. Birth dens found in rock crevices or abandoned burrows of foxes and marmots. Dens contain bedding composed of plants, rodent skins, feathers, and prey remains. Mating occurs in February and March, accompanied by frequent vocalizations. Period of sexual receptivity is short, 26 to 42 hours. Gestation about 66-75 days, and 4-6 kittens are born in April and May. Kittens weigh 80-90 g at birth, 500-600 g at two months of age. Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. Widely distributed but uncommon. Hunting prohibited in most countries in its range but the species is still illegally hunted forits pelt. Habitat destruction and poisoning to control pika populations also threaten it. Unstudied in the wild until recently, when they were captured and radio-collared as part of a veterinary study to characterize parasite load and physiologic and genetic parameters. Bibliography. Brown & Munkhtsog (2000), Heptner & Sludskii (1992a), Mellen (1993), Murdoch et al. (2006), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Roberts (1977), Schauenberg (1978), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002), Wang Zongyi & Wang Sung (1986), Weigel (1972).