SHANGRALA'S
World's
Most
Expressive
Cat!
Have you heard of the manul cat? Also called Pallas's cat, they are,
unfortunately, a nearly threatened species of wild cat. Their habitats are
in the grasslands and montane steppes of Central Asia.
It is negatively affected by habitat degradation, prey base decline, and hunting, and has therefore been classified as Near Threatened by IUCN since 2002. The Pallas's cat was named after the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas, who first described the cat in 1776 under the binomial Felis manul. Pallas' cats are about the size of a domestic cat and have the longest and densest fur of any cat. Their fur is nearly twice as long on their belly and tail as on their top and sides. Their distinguishing marks are round pupils, stubby legs and a flat face with wide set ears. These features give them the ability to make a great variety of facial expressions that most cats can't. Unfortunately these cats need very special care and cannot survive just anywhere or at any zoo, so don't expect to see one at a zoo near you, but only in specially professional habitats or in the wild. |