This cute animal, very reminiscent of a long-haired domestic cat, lives in Central and Central Asia. It prefers to settle in forest-steppes and steppes, as well as in mountainous areas with bushes. The steppe cat is much less common in forests.
This animal is characterized by a ferocious and somewhat displeased expression. Someone sees him sad and perplexed. In addition, it should be noted that manul is very poorly tamed. With a domestic cat, he is related only by appearance. Their characters and habits are completely different.
Description of appearance
The steppe cat manul, whose photo on some sites in 2008 made a lot of noise, is a small animal, weighing no more than 5 kg, and a body length of about 65 cm. A wide and fluffy tail is not too long - no more than 30 cm. The paws are short and thick, "armed" with sharp retractable claws.
Manul is a steppe cat with a memorable appearance. It looks like a familiar pet for us, but it has a very dense body and very thick light gray fur. This is the fluffiestkind of cat. On his back, each square centimeter has 9,000 hairs. The length of the coat is 7 cm. Each hair has a white tip. This gives the luxurious fur a silver hue.
Color can be smoky gray or fawn-red. There are thin black stripes on the tail. The same stripes are on the muzzle. The forehead of the manul is marked with dark dots.
The eyes of this animal deserve special attention - large, yellow. Unlike domestic cats, the steppe manul cat, whose photo you can see in our article, has round, not vertical pupils. The animal has excellent hearing and vision, but the manul cannot boast of a good sense of smell.
Varieties
Today, three subspecies of this steppe cat are known:
- Siberian or nominal. It lives in the northern part of its range. Has a gray color.
- Central Asian who lives in Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Northern Iran. Distinguished by red fur.
- Tibetan - with darker fur, black stripes on the tail and torso and brighter spots on the head. Lives in Northern India, Northern Pakistan, Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan.
Lifestyle
Manul is the slowest wild steppe cat. He cannot run fast. This cat is a loner. Each individual lives in its own territory and instantly drives out a stranger from it. The steppe cat goes hunting at night or early in the morning, and sleeps in burrows or crevices during the day. Feeds on rodents, butIt may well cope with a hare or a gopher. Feeds on insects in summer.
Enemies of manul
It is quite difficult for a clumsy cat to defend itself against enemies. Its main enemies are owls, owls, wolves. Most often, he tries to run away from them, to hide. Jumping on rocks or stones, the cat bares its sharp teeth, snorts. Often, the manul falls into traps set on other animals.
Offspring
The mating season takes place in February-March. At this time, the cats arrange violent fights because of the cats. Offspring appear annually. There are usually two to six kittens in a litter. Cats do not take part in the upbringing of babies. But the cat mother takes care of her offspring very carefully - licks, feeds with milk, warms with her warmth. But if the cat is unhappy with the behavior of the kittens, she bites them. At three months, the family goes hunting for the first time. Under natural conditions, the steppe cat lives from 10 to 12 years.
Abundance and distribution
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to establish the exact number of these animals, since the steppe cat is distributed in mosaic and behaves very secretively. Everywhere, including in protected areas, Pallas' cat is very rare, in many areas it is on the verge of extinction.
This type of steppe cat was listed in the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the IUCN list (replacing the international Red Book). In it, Pallas' cat received the status "close to threatened".
Especially dangerous for manul is the destruction of its habitats. This may be the result of grazing, poaching, mining. Often the dwellings of these animals are destroyed by hunting and shepherd dogs. Despite the strictest prohibitions, mittens and even fur coats made from the fur of this rarest animal are still sold.
Steppe cat caracal
Another great feline is the caracal. In nature, it is a predator belonging to the lynx family. Outwardly, they are very similar to their distant relatives. However, scientists have singled out the caracal as a separate species, due to some genetic features.
Appearance
This steppe cat (the photo in our article will convince you of this) is very similar to a lynx. If not for the smaller size and solid color, it could easily be confused with a dangerous predator.
Caracal has a graceful body, 82 cm long, 30 cm tail. Height 45 cm. Weight can reach 19 kg. The high-set triangular ears are crowned with fluffy tassels that can be up to 5 cm long.
Wool is very thick, short. The color may be reddish-brown on the back, the belly is white, and there are black markings on the sides.
Caracal in nature
This steppe cat is a predator. He is active at night. It rarely leaves its burrow during the daytime. Caracals are found in deserts, savannahs, in the foothills of Africa, Asia Minor and Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, sometimes they can be found in the desert in the south of Turkmenistan. Lives in burrows and crevicesrocks.
Caracals hunt for small birds and animals, which they run very fast. When a cat hunts, it can grab several birds from a flying flock at once. Despite this agility, he prefers to hunt small rodents or reptiles.
Interesting facts
Caracal can go without water for a long time, making do with liquid obtained from prey. With sharp fangs, he pierces the throat of his prey, and with "steel" jaws he holds it. The molars and claws of the caracal are sharp as blades.
In the wild, caracals (like leopards) pull their prey up trees, hiding it from other predators.
Unusual Pets
These predators, unlike manuls, are easily tamed, so exotic lovers tend to settle them at home. I must say that they succeed.
Tame caracals are very affectionate and kind animals.
Content Features
It is desirable to buy a caracal kitten at the age of 6 months. If your plans do not include professional breeding of these animals, then they should be immediately castrated or sterilized.
If there are small children in your house, then think carefully when purchasing such a kitty. Do not forget that first of all it is a predator, so if you offend him, he can respond.
Caracals, like ordinary domestic cats, need to be vaccinated, monitor their he alth, take care of their hair.
A big cat's diet should contain poultry, fish, beef, rabbit meat, occasionally eggs. Pork is strictly prohibited - it can cause a serious feline disease - Aujeszky's disease. From the diet of the steppe cat, s alted or spiced foods should be completely excluded. Animals need to be given vitamins. Caracals can also be fed with dry food, but of the highest quality.
At home, graceful caracals delight with their grace, besides, it's nice to realize that a "tame" predator lives in your house.
