Wild Cats of China

This is a professional science notebook on 13 wild cats in China. This book not only collates scientific information about these species and introduces the ecosystems they live in， but also tells research and conservation stories. From discovery and research to conservation， readers can learn about the real lives of these wild cats through maps， hand-drawn drawings， infrared camera photos and more.

Wild Cats of China

Lyu Zhi

CITIC Press Group

July 2022

98.00 (CNY)

Lyu Zhi

Lyu Zhi is a professor at the School of Life Sciences and Ecological Research Center of Peking University， executive director of the Center for Nature Conservation and Social Development of Peking University， founder of Shanshui Nature Conservation Center， and vice president of the China Association of Women Scientists and Technologists. She is committed to the research of biodiversity conservation and improving the basis for the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

Evolution and Classification

The Pallas’s cat， or Manul， is classified between the leopard cat lineage and the cat lineage， being slightly closer to the leopard cat lineage. Therefore， it is categorized within the leopard cat lineage， but its relationship with the genus Prionailurus is much more distant than the relationships among the members within the genus. About 6 million years ago， the Pallas’s cat diverged from the leopard cat lineage， which is over 3 million years earlier than the emergence of the leopard cat ancestor. This evolutionary relationship is somewhat reflected in its markings: the Pallas’s cat has spots on its forehead and stripes on its body and tail， looking like a blend of a leopard cat and a tabby cat. Morphologically， the Pallas’s cat is considered to have three subspecies: the nominate subspecies， the West Asia subspecies， and the Plateau subspecies. There are no obvious breaks or boundaries in the distribution of the Pallas’s cat， but there are noticeable differences in fur color among those from different regions. The classification of these subspecies may require further genetic studies.

Morphology

The Pallas’s cat looks like a chubby little domestic cat. Its body length is 46-- 62 cm， with a tail about half its body length but very thick. Female Pallas’s cats weigh 2.5-- 5 kg， while males weigh 3.3-5.3 kg. The Pallas’s cat has a flat face， a small nose， large eyes， and pupils that often constrict into two small dots during the day. It has prominent “sideburns” on its cheeks and a pair of noticeable round ears. Its forehead is covered with small black spots， and there is a thick black and white stripe on its cheeks extending from the corner of their eyes backward and downward.

The body of the Pallas’s cat has horizontal stripes similar to those of a tabby cat， most of which are not very distinct. However， some individuals， such as those from Central Asia， have very distinct horizontal stripes. The tail of the Pallas’s cat has more obvious ring markings， with a black tip. The fur of the Pallas’s cat is very long， soft， and dense， which is an adaptation to its cold environment.

Distribution and Habitat

The Pallas’s cat primarily inhabits the steppes， deserts， gobi， or hilly mountain environments of northern Asia. It avoids complete deserts and open grassland areas， and it rarely appears in extensive forests but may be found on the forest edges. The Pallas’s cat is highly cold-resistant， but its small size makes it tend to choose dry environments and avoid areas with deep snow in winter. It is highly adaptable， capable of living from grasslands at an altitude of 400 meters to mountains at an altitude of 5，000 meters， making it one of the most widely distributed feline species in Asia. From the northern Mongolian Plateau to the south， spanning China’s Hexi Corridor to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and extending to the southwestern Himalayas， the Pallas’s cat can be found.

The Pallas’s cats living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are considered the Plateau subspecies. They often choose grasslands with large rock formations or rocky mountain environments. The Pallas’s cat is skilled at using the crevices and shadows of rocks and slopes to conceal itself.

The Pallas’s cats living in Mongolia to northern Inner Mongolia and Gansu in China are the nominate subspecies， generally considered the desert population， preferring to live in barren desert environments with rocky and sloped terrain. In places like the Qilian Mountains National Nature Reserve in Gansu or the Gobi environment， they will utilize burrows of animals such as badgers， red foxes， sand foxes， or marmots and make full use of shrubs， ravines， and rock piles. The western population， living in Afghanistan， Iran， Kazakhstan， and other regions， is classified as the West Asia subspecies. This subspecies has a small and fragmented distribution area， living in dry desert environments similar to the nominate subspecies.

Diet

The Pallas’s cat primarily preys on small rodents and lagomorphs. Gerbils and pikas are the two main prey observed， while voles， hamsters， and ground squirrels are also favored food sources. Additionally， birds found throughout the steppes and desert regions are also captured by the Pallas’s cat， and occasionally， hares， hedgehogs， and amphibians or reptiles become part of their diet. The Pallas’s cat employs various hunting strategies:

Sometimes it acts like a bird of prey， positioning itself on high slopes or other vantage points to spot rodents or pikas below， then stealthily approaches and captures its prey. At other times， it may employ a strategy of running and flushing out prey， chasing and catching it. Alternatively， it may crouch by a rodent hole， waiting for the prey to emerge， similar to how domestic cats hunt mice. The Pallas’s cat is active both during the day and at night. However， due to its small size， it can easily have its food stolen by other competitors or become prey for larger predators such as diurnal raptors， wolves， snow leopards， and lynxes. Thus， it adopts certain temporal avoidance strategies to evade these threats. Observations in Qinghai and Gansu have shown that the Pallas’s cat has a peak activity period from dusk until nighttime.

Population Status and Conservation

Although the Pallas’s cat is widely distributed， it is uncommon everywhere， especially compared to sympatric canids with similar ecological niches—whether it’s the Tibetan fox， sand fox， or red fox， they are all more commonly seen than the Pallas’s cat. Historically， the Pallas’s cat was hunted extensively for its soft and warm fur， leading to a sharp decline in its population in many areas. Although there is no direct evidence， widespread rodent control activities may also have contributed significantly to the Pallas’s cat becoming extremely rare in some places. In Inner Mongolia and Gansu， many local herders have reported that this small gray cat was once common but is now rarely seen.

Furthermore， it is currently difficult to assess the impact of grazing on the Pallas’s cat. In some pastures in Qinghai， Pallas’s cats can be seen moving with sheep flocks， where they still manage to catch many pikas. However， the relationship between the scale of grazing and the population of rodents and pikas will affect the survival of the Pallas’s cat.

Currently， the Pallas’s cat is assessed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN. In China， it is listed as a national second-class protected animal.

Pallas’s Cat: Don’t be Fooled by My Cuteness; I Have the Eyes of a Predator

Felids are widely distributed on almost all lands except Oceania and Antarctica. Humans affectionately call them “cat planet people.” Indeed， if humans weren’t around， calling Earth the “cat planet” wouldn’t be an exaggeration. From the Manchurian tiger， which weighs over 300 kilograms， to the rusty-spotted cat， which weighs just 1 kilogram， felids have successfully occupied the top predator niche in various terrestrial ecosystems.

Becoming a top predator is inseparable from having sharp vision—the glistening eyes of cats， with pupils that can contract into vertical slits， are perfectly described as “sharp”. But wait! Not all felids have vertical pupils like domestic cats. The Pallas’s cat， in this regard， is just like humans; its pupils remain round regardless of how much they constrict.

Pallas’s Cat vs. Tibetan Fox

Mr. Bao Yongqing， who once won an award for photographing the battle between a Tibetan fox and a marmot， shared many stories about the Pallas’s cat with the Cat Alliance: It stands on slopes like an owl， looking down to select its favorite pika， then descends to capture it; during the mating season， two Pallas’s cats may stare at each other for an entire day...

Pallas’s cats and Tibetan foxes love to fight， almost daily. The Tibetan fox can’t beat the Pallas’s cat and is often chased away， but after a while， the fox， still angry， comes back to continue the fight. There was a nest of Pallas’s cats built just below a snow leopard’s nest. When the snow leopard mother went out， the Pallas’s cat mother would visit the snow leopard’s nest to “tease” the cubs， yet they seemed to coexist peacefully...