Pallas’s Cats: A Rare Sighting in India

GS 3 – Environment – Species

Why in news: The recent discovery of Pallas’s cat in Himachal Pradesh, India, during a snow leopard survey, provides the first photographic evidence of this elusive species in the region. This emphasizes the need to conserve lesser-known wildlife in the Indian Himalayas.

Pallas’s Cat:

• Common Name: Pallas’s cat or manul
• History: Named after Peter Simon Pallas, who described it in 1776 using specimens from near Lake Baikal, Russia.

Distribution:

• Found primarily in Central Asia, including parts of western Iran, Mongolia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
• Prefers habitats like mountainous plains and semi-desert foothills.

Key Features:

• Size: Comparable to a house cat, with a body length of 45–60 cm and a tail of 23–30 cm. Weighs between 2.5–3.5 kg.
• Appearance:
  • Silvery gray or light brown fur, with some dark body markings.
  • Broad head, high-set eyes, and low-set ears.
  • Tail is ringed and tipped in black.
  • Thick fur, especially on the underparts, adapted for cold ground conditions.

Conservation Status:

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern
• CITES: Listed under Appendix II