How Do Pallas's Cats Work?

a monkey than a house cat. With their distinctive black and white markings down their cheeks, drooping whiskers, and long fur, they look like grumpy old men who are unamused with your Shenanigans. Also known as the manual cat after their taxonomical species name Autocolobus manual, these wild cats are only about the size of your average housecat. They look a little larger because they have the longest and densest fur

in the feline world. It's mostly solid gray in the winter, but as summer arrives, their coats gain faint stripes and some earth the rusty highlights. But why all that fluff. It's less about making them look larger and more about having a camouflaged winter parka That abundance of long fur helps them stay warm in the frigid temperatures of their high altitude habitat, while keeping them hidden from deadly predators

amidst rocky landscapes. Palace's cats are found throughout Central Asia, with the largest populations thought to be in cold, dry parts of Mongolia and Russia, where they've long held a level of celebrity status. They've played the role of mascot for the Moscow Zoo for over thirty years. The name Palace's Cats comes from one Peter Simon Palace, a German zoologist who was the first to describe them. Palace was part of the first Russian Siberian expedition to survey the

Russian Empire in the seventeen hundreds. There are also an assortment of birds, other mammals, and plants that bear his name. Their Chile habitat is also the reason for Palace's cat's trademark tiny ears, which bear the same cup shape as other cats, but are much smaller and rounded instead of pointed,

increasing their resemblance to cranky muppets. Their genus name, Autocolobus, actually means ugly ears, but whatever you think of them personally, this ear shape plays a crucial part in their survival. For the article this episode is based on How Stuff Works. Spoke via email with Jim Sanderson, the founder and director

of the Small Wildcat Conservation Foundation. He explained winter in the Asian Step, especially at high latitudes in Mongolia and North and to Russia and the windswept grasslands of Kazakhstan, can be brutally cold. Large ears, like those of a jack rabbit, give off a lot of body heat, an advantage in the hot desert like the Saunarin Desert, but a disadvantage in cold places. Having no ears would be best, but Pallas's cats must also listen for rodents, so they

need ears. Evolution has produced the perfect compromise. During the day, Pallace's cats lounge and dens they create in small caves, rock cracks, and under boulders. At dusk, they emerge to hunt, searching for small prey like pikas, birds, voles, and hares. They're quite cautious, squatting low to the ground or behind rocks to blend in, a behavior which serves as both an advantage for sneaking up on prey as well as protection against predators. But once read into pounds, they're very

aggressive in or out of their dens. Palaces cats don't socialize much, and the male cats don't stick around after mating. Younglings will live with their mother and litter for a few months up to a year after birth, and then strike out and stake out their own territory. So is it all the snarky attitude that keeps others away? Not at all, explains Henderson a quote. All thirty three species of small cats and six of seven big cats are solitary.

Lions are the single exception. While many feline fans would love to have such a curiously cute furball join their home, the palace's cat isn't suited for domestic life. Not only are they solitary in wild animals that are built to hunt, their health can be in serious jeopardy when removed from

their high altitude habitat. A palace's cats have a specialized immune system that allows them to thrive in those high altitudes, but it's not built to fight the increased number of bacteria and viruses found in lower areas, ultimately causing a high mortality rate in captivity. Populations of these cats are in decline and they're currently considered near threatened. Human activity

seems to be their greatest threat. Some local peoples do hunt them for their fur, meat and fat, but even just the expansion of human settlements into their habitat has been damaging. Pockets of the cats are now effectively isolated, limiting their gene pools, and measures meant to control rodents like peakas sometimes kill Palaces cats too. Given the dangers of placing Palace's Cats in lower altitude habitats, conservation is a bit tricky in comparison with many other near threatened animals.

They're not placed in zoos or other rehabilitation programs as often, so the typical captive breeding approach doesn't increase the population very much. Scientists and wildcat conservation societies continue to do research to better understand and protect the Palace's Cat. Even if you aren't able to trekt to high altitudes in Asia to see one or find one of these fluffy fur balls in a zoo, you can still enjoy a treasure trove of online photos of their beautifully grumpy expressions.

Today's episode is based on the article The Palace's Cat is the original grumpy Wildcat on HowStuffWorks dot com, written by Katiecarmen. Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with HowStuffWorks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.