Pallas's Cat: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Small Wild Cats · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. Pallas's cats have soft, thick fur, with up to 9,000 hairs packed into every square centimetre.
2. Its round ears sit low on the sides of its head, so it can peek over a rock while showing only a little of its head.
3. In 2016, Pallas's cat droppings were found at 5,593 m in Nepal, the highest record ever for this species.
4. Pallas's cats catch small mammals by stalking or ambushing near burrow exits, and pull rodents out with their paws.
5. In one nature reserve on the Tibetan Plateau, plateau pikas are the main food of Pallas's cats.

The quiz

1. How many hairs per square centimetre can a Pallas's cat pack?

• Up to 90
• Up to 900
• Up to 90,000
• Up to 9,000 (correct)

Its soft, thick fur has up to 9,000 hairs per square centimetre.

2. Why are a Pallas's cat's ears set low?

• To peek over things while showing little of its head (correct)
• To hear underground
• To keep snow out
• To look bigger

Low ears let it peek over a rock while showing little of its head.

3. At what height were the highest known traces of a Pallas's cat found?

• 593 m
• 1,593 m
• 5,593 m (correct)
• 8,593 m

Its droppings were found at 5,593 m in Nepal in 2016, the highest record for the species.

4. How do Pallas's cats catch small mammals?

• Chasing them across open plains
• Stalking or ambushing near burrow exits (correct)
• Diving into rivers
• Hunting in packs

They catch small mammals by stalking or ambushing near burrow exits.

5. What is the main food of Pallas's cats in one Tibetan Plateau reserve?

• Wild yaks
• Snow leopards
• Plateau pikas (correct)
• Wolves

In that reserve, plateau pikas are their main food.

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