DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Lives in Asia from western Iran to China and Mongolia. It chooses rocky areas, steppes and mountainous areas up to 5000 m above sea level.
BEHAVIOUR
Crepuscular lifestyle. Most activity occurs at dawn and dusk. Pallas’s cat is slow, so it hunts by hiding or sneaking. During the day, it hides in other animals’ burrows and rock crevices. It is a solitary species.
DIET
Small rodents, lagomorphs, including pikas, birds and insects.
REPRODUCTION
Pallas’s cat reaches sexual maturity in the first year of life. Males often fight for a female that is in estrous cycle. Gestation lasts 65 to 74 days. The female gives birth to 3 to 6 kittens. The mortality rate of kittens in the wild is almost 70%.
GOOD TO KNOW
Pallas’s cat stands out from other small cats with it’s round pupils, similar to those of humans, and low-set, rounded ears. It has the densest fur among all felines. Threats in the wild cause that average lifespan is less than 4 years.
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