What is a Pallas's cat? Classification, distribution, physical features, and lifestyle

What is the Pallas's cat? A "1 genus 1 species" small wild cat

The Pallas's cat is an animal classified in the family Felidae, genus Otocolobus. There is only one species in the genus Otocolobus, the Pallas's cat.

The scientific name is Otocolobus manul. It was described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1776. The original specimen was encountered south of Lake Baikal in Russia. Initially named Felis manul (same genus as the domestic cat), it was later classified into its own genus based on its body structure and genetic research.

The key point is this. The Pallas's cat belongs to the lineage of the leopard cat. According to researchers' estimates, it split from the leopard cat lineage about 5.9 million years ago, and has walked its own unique path.

The Meaning of the Name "Pallas's Cat"

The "manul" in Pallas's cat comes from the Mongolian language. Explanations from Japanese zoos (Saitama Children's Zoo, Kobe Animal Kingdom) state that it means "small mountain cat" in Mongolian.

In English, it is called Pallas's cat, named after the person who first described it, Pallas. The origin of the genus name Otocolobus and other names in other countries are introduced in The Origin of the Name of the Pallas's Cat.

Physical Features of the Pallas's Cat

The body of the Pallas's cat has several distinctive features that are easy to recognize.

• Short legs and long, thick fur make the body look round
• The head is flat, and the ears are positioned low on the sides of the head, not on top
• The pupil (the black part of the eye) is round. Most small Felidae have vertical pupils
• There is a black spot on the forehead, and black and white stripes from the eyes to the cheeks
• The tail is thick, with black ring patterns, and ends in black

The fur color changes with the seasons. In winter, the fur is long and dense, turning a pale, frost-like color. In spring, the fur sheds and changes, becoming short and dark in summer. When hiding in rocky areas, it looks like a small stone, making it very hard to find.

The reason it looks round is explained in Why is the Pallas's cat round? , the size numbers are in The Size of the Pallas's cat, and the pupil is discussed in The Eyes of the Pallas's cat.

How the Pallas's cat Lives

The Pallas's cat lives alone. It is mainly active at dawn and dusk, and rests in rock crevices or burrows dug by mammals like marmots during the day.

The main diet is the pika (a small rodent that lives in highlands). In the entire habitat, more than half of its food comes from pikas. It also eats small animals like voles, rats, hamsters, and jerboas, and sometimes young marmots or small birds.

There are three main hunting methods.

1. Creeping up: slowly moving through the shade of rocks, then pouncing when close
2. Chasing: in spring and summer, walking through grass to chase voles or birds
3. Waiting: in winter, waiting quietly at the entrance of a pika's burrow

More details are in What the Pallas's cat eats.

The main predators of the Pallas's cat are large birds of prey like hawks and eagles, wolves, and dogs brought by humans. The gray fur that blends with rocks and the white belly help it avoid detection from above. When it is still, it looks like a small stone, making it difficult even for researchers to find.

Its vocalizations are also unique. According to researchers' records, it makes a sound similar to a goose's "gaa-gaa." It rarely makes the "meow" sound like a domestic cat. More about its vocalizations is in The Vocalizations of the Pallas's cat.

The territory used by one individual is also notable for being large relative to its body size. According to a survey in Mongolia, females used an average of 23 square kilometers, and males used an average of 99 square kilometers. This is calculated as the area of a square with a side of 10 km for a 4 kg animal.

Raising Puppies

The Pallas's cat reproduces once a year. Births are concentrated in April to May. The gestation period is 66 to 75 days, and in captivity, the average number of offspring is 3 to 4, with up to 8 in some cases.

Puppies leave their parents at 4 to 5 months old. In the wild, about 68% of puppies die before becoming independent. The growth of baby Pallas's cats is introduced in Baby Pallas's cats.

Is the Pallas's cat an endangered species?

The Pallas's cat is listed as "Least Concern (LC)" on the IUCN Red List as of the 2020 assessment. Previously, it was classified as "Near Threatened (NT)."

However, the estimated number of mature individuals is about 58,000, and the population is declining. The main reasons are the conversion of its habitat into pastureland and farmland, hunting for its fur, and culling due to the toxicity of voles and pikas. More details about why the status changed are in Is the Pallas's cat an endangered species? .

Where to See the Pallas's cat in Japan

The Pallas's cat is also kept in Japanese zoos. According to a report from Nagoya City, there are 22 individuals (12 males and 10 females) in 9 facilities in Japan by the end of 2025.

Which zoos have them is listed in Zoos in Japan where you can see the Pallas's cat, and the names of the individuals are listed in Names of the Pallas's cats in Japan. Since the display conditions may change, please check the official websites of each zoo before visiting.

Sources

• IUCN Red List: Otocolobus manul (2020 assessment)
• IUCN Cat Specialist Group: Species description of the Pallas's cat
• CATnews Special Issue 13 "Current Status and Conservation Strategies of the Pallas's cat" (2019, PICA and IUCN Cat Specialist Group)
• Mammal Diversity Database: Otocolobus manul (Describer, Original Description, Type Locality)
• Saitama Children's Zoo: Pallas's cat
• Kobe Animal Kingdom: Public display of five baby Pallas's cats (July 2026, PR TIMES distribution)
• Nagoya City: Announcement about the transfer of the Pallas's cat at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens (May 2026)