LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Pallas: Pallas Cat
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Because Pallas’ cats are very solitary animals that have not yet been widely studied, it is uncertain how many there are in the wild. They used to be hunted in the thousands for their fur but are now protected in many areas. The number of Pallas’ cats has ... decreased because of its choice of prey. Pikas are considered pests because they are carriers of disease and compete for grazing land with livestock. Because of this, people have begun poisoning pikas. This both lessens the Pallas’ cats’ food supply and leads to secondary poisoning.
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The Pallas' cat is about the size of an average housecat. Some say they resemble a long haired grey-tabby persian cat, and were once believed to be the ancestors of these cats, which is now known to be false. They have a very short broad head, with very small round ears set down on the sides of the head, and large yellow eyes. Their body is heavy and supported on stocky legs. Their coat is the longest of any species of wild cat, and is a greyish color, with white tips to the hairs which creates a frosted appearance. They have small black spots all over their body and head, and two black bars on the sides of their face.
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A Pallas’ cat lives in parts of Asia where the climate is often cold and dry. Because it sometimes has to do its hunting over cold rocks and snow, a Pallas’ cat’s belly fur is about twice as long as the fur on its back and sides. It has a special clear third eyelid, called a nictitating membrane, which protects its eyes against cold winds and dust storms. Because of its short, stumpy legs, the Pallas’ cat is not an especially good runner, so it will try to hide among the rocks if it is chased. It is ... more likely while hunting to wait at the entrance of an animal’s burrow and ambush its prey than it is to try to chase it down.
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Pallas' cats are typically crepuscular, but have been seen active in mid-day. They sleep in dens in rock crevices or small caves, and sometimes the abandoned burrow of another animal. Their mating calls sound like a screeching owl.
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The Pallas's cat is ... known as a Manul. About the size of a large domestic cat, the manul is covered with long course fur, sandy to grey in base colour with white tips on the guard hairs which gives an overall 'frosted' appearance. The legs are short and stumpy compared to the overall body size - the small broad head has high set eyes, and low set hair covered ears. The head has a striped facial ruff. The tail of the manul cat is tipped with black and has darker rings toward the end, similar dark markings can also be faintly seen across the side of its back. The range of the manul extends from Iran through southern Asia to parts of western China.
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Conservation status: Pallas' cats are regulated by CITES as Appendix II species. They are not covered by the U.S. Endangered Species Act but are protected by national legislation over most of their range. IUCN considers them Insufficiently Known. Described as being most abundant on the cold grasslands of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau, it occurs widely but is nowhere common. Elsewhere the species is considered vulnerable to rare and uncommon, including in Afghanistan, Ladakh, northern India and Pakistan, and especially the small, isolated population in Baluchistan.
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Pallas Cat