Pallas’s cat: Rare species discovered on Mount Everest for the first time
“It is phenomenal to discover proof of this rare and remarkable species at the top of the world.”
The Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is home to the first-ever report of a Pallas’s cat, according to research from a recent publication that was published in Cat News. The 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Trip’s joint project plays an important role in this finding.
As stated in the release, the Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition biology field team of scientists collected environmental samples from two locations 3.7 miles (6 km) apart at 16,765 and 17,027 ft (5,110 and 5,190 m) elevation above sea level along Sagarmatha National Park under the co-leadership of Dr. Tracie Seimon of Wildlife Conservation Society’s Zoological Health Program, based at the Bronx Zoo.
“It is phenomenal to discover proof of this rare and remarkable species at the top of the world,” said Dr. Seimon. “The nearly four-week journey was extremely rewarding not just for our team but for the larger scientific community. The discovery of Pallas’s cat on Everest illuminates the rich biodiversity of this remote high-alpine ecosystem and extends the known range of this species to eastern Nepal.”
From a few thousand in the 1970s to over 50,000 in 2019, the number of tourists visiting Sagarmatha National Park and Mount Everest has been rising drastically. The fact that Pallas’s cat was not discovered in this park until 2019 is noteworthy.
“The groundbreaking 2019 Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition continues to be extremely valuable to better understand the most iconic environment on our planet,” said Nicole Alexiev, Vice President of Science and Innovation Programs at the National Geographic Society.
“These results are a perfect illustration of why this work is important and a cornerstone of our partnership with Rolex to study and explore Earth’s critical life support systems.”
More about Pallas’s cat
The Pallas’s cat or manul is a small breed of cat with a large but scattered population that extends to the pastures and steppes of Central Asia. The Pallas’s cat is named after the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas, who first discovered the species and described it as “binary naming” Felis Manul.
Pallas cats are roughly the same size as domestic cats; their body is 18 – 25 inches (46-65 centimeters), and their long tail is between 8 and 12 inches (21-31 centimeters). Their weight can vary from 5.5 to 9.9 lbs (2.5 to 4.5 kilograms). Their stocky stance and thick and long coat make him look fat and strong. Its fur is a very deep yellow, known as an ocher color, with alternating dark vertical stripes on the body and head.
SHOW COMMENT ()
