#1. Which of these is a major threat to Pallas’s cats from human activity? (select all that apply)
Select all that apply:
Pallas’s cats face many of the same threats snow leopards face, with a notable exception: campaigns to reduce rodent populations with poison have inadvertently led to the poisoning of pallas’s cats and a reduction in their main prey species.
#2. True or False: Pallas’s cats can’t run long distances and rely on stalking and ambushing their prey.
They have very small legs!
#3. How does snow leopard conservation research directly benefit Pallas’s cat science?
Because Pallas’s cats and snow leopards share remote mountainous habitat across Asia’s high mountains, camera traps set up for snow leopard monitoring regularly capture Pallas’s cats too. PICA has used the Snow Leopard Trust’s long-term image database from countries including Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan to gather new data on Pallas’s cat presence, activity patterns, and associations with predator and prey species.
#4. TRUE or FALSE: Snow leopards have significant habitat overlap with Pallas’s cats and are a major competitor for prey.
While they do have significant habitat overlap, the two cat species do not compete for the same prey.
#5. Which of these is a distinctive physical adaptation that helps Pallas’s cats hunt in open, rocky terrain?
Unlike most small cats, whose pupils form vertical slits, Pallas’s cats have pupils that contract into small circles — an adaptation that may help them scan open terrain.
#6. Which country is believed to hold the largest population of Pallas’s cats?
#7. TRUE or FALSE: Pallas’s cats often shelter in marmot burrows
Abandoned burrows are a prime home for these cats, along with small caves and rock crevices.
#8. What is the current IUCN Red List status of the Pallas’s cat?
The Pallas’s cat has been listed as Least Concern since 2020, due to its widespread range and assumed large population. However, populations are declining and highly fragmented, so the species still faces real conservation challenges.
#9. What other name is the Pallas’s cat commonly known as?
“Manul” is the Mongolian name for the Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul). The species was first formally described by naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1776 near Lake Baikal, giving it its common English name.
#10. What species usually makes up more than half of a Pallas’s cat’s diet?
Pikas make up more than 50% of their diet across most of their range. This specialization is energy-efficient because pikas are larger and more nutrient-dense than most small rodents. When pikas are scarce, they supplement with voles, birds, and occasionally insects.
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Big-eared Pika[/caption]
#11. The Pallas’s Cat International Conservation Alliance (PICA) was co-founded by which organization?
PICA is a collaboration between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Nordens Ark (Sweden), and Snow Leopard Trust — funded by Fondation Segré. Since Pallas’s cats share much of their range with snow leopards, PICA has used Snow Leopard Trust’s extensive camera-trap database to study Pallas’s cat distribution and activity patterns as an additional resource.
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Photo credits: Zita Quentin, SLCF-Mongolia, Snow Leopard Trust