Pallas's Cat
Pallas's Cat | |||
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マヌルネコ | |||
Character Data | |||
AKA | Manul
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Romaji | Manuruneko
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Debut | Kemono Friends Festival | ||
Animal Data | |||
Scientific Name | Otocolobus manul
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Distribution | Central Asia
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Diet | Carnivore
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Avg. Lifespan | 27 months
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Read More | Pallas's cat
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Conservation | |||
Pallas's Cat | Festival | Pavilion | KF3 (V2) | Gallery |
Pallas's Cat is a type of feline Friend that first revealed in a Tweet on Mine Yoshizaki's Twitter and has been featured in Kemono Friends Festival and later game instalments.
Series Appearances
Media | Role |
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In Real Life
Pallas's cat, also known as manul or manul cat, is a type of small wild cat first described by the Prussian zoologist and botanist, Peter Pallas. Due to the style of fur and flat face, Pallas first believed this cat to be the ancestor of Persian breeds of domestic cat, but that was later proved incorrect. Pallas's cat is believed to have diverged from a common ancestor of other Felis species and Jungle Cat between 9.4 to 1.46 million years ago based on analysis of mitochondrial DNA.
The fur on their bodies is the largest and densest of any cat. Due to this, they look like they're much bigger than they actually are. Without the fur, the Pallas's cat is around the same size as a regular house cat. This fur keeps them warm in the cold environments that they live in, mainly in Siberia and Tibet. The colour of the fur changes depending on the season; from a grey colour in the winter, to a grey-red in the spring. Their giant fur also hampers their ability to run, meaning they have to hide from threats rather than outpace them.
Their fur doesn't stop them from chase hunting, but Pallas's cats can also ambush their prey in spite of their lack of mobility. They sneak up on an animal using vegetation as cover, or position themselves outside of a den and wait for their target to appear. Should they grow impatient, they can be found dipping their paws into dens in an attempt to catch some food. Their main diet includes rodents, birds, and insects. They also enjoy fish, despite the fact it's not part of their natural diet. Due to extreme environment of their habitats, Pallas's cats have high mortality rate in the wild with an average lifespan less than 3 years. However, they can live up to 12 years in captivity.
Trivia
- Pallas's cat is very expressive, and finds itself the face of many meme images online.
- Cats usually contract their pupils to a slit shape, but Pallas's cats contract theirs to a small circle.
- Pallas's cat is featured on the Russian Silver 2-ruble coin.
References
Big Cat Rescue. (2017). Pallas Cat Facts. [online] Available at: https://bigcatrescue.org/pallas-cat-facts/ [Accessed 21 Nov. 2017].
Bates, M. (2017). The Creature Feature: 10 Fun Facts About the Pallas’ Cat. [online] WIRED. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2014/08/pallas-cat-facts/ [Accessed 21 Nov. 2017].
Arkive. (2017). Pallas’s cat video - Otocolobus manul - 00 Arkive. [online] Available at: http://www.arkive.org/pallass-cat/otocolobus-manul/video-00.html [Accessed 21 Nov. 2017].