February 16, 2023, 9:09 am | Read time: 3 minutes
A group of researchers has spent years studying life at the highest altitudes on Earth. Many animals living in cold regions are retreating to increasingly higher mountains. As a result, the little-known Pallas’s cat, also known as the Manul, has now been documented on Mount Everest.
The Pallas’s cat is primarily known in our regions from zoos and wildlife parks. In the wild, however, it lives in very cold areas and on snow-covered mountain ranges in Russia, Nepal, and Iran. In Central Asia, it is often found on mountain ranges because the animals develop a very thick coat, perfectly adapted to life in cold climates. For example, they place their paws on their tails to keep them warm. However, due to climate change, many areas where the manul naturally occurs have become too warm for the small cat. Researchers have now proven that the Pallas’s cat has even retreated to Mount Everest!
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Pallas’s Cat Found at About 5,200 Meters on Mount Everest
The Pallas’s cat remains one of the lesser-known wild cats. It primarily lives in Asia and is likely descended from the saber-toothed tiger. It is gray-brown with distinctive fur markings around the muzzle. Unlike many other felines, its pupils are round instead of slit-shaped. In winter, the animals develop a thick coat that keeps them warm even at temperatures well below freezing. The Pallas’s cat generally prefers a cold climate. Therefore, the effects of climate change could also impact the conservation of the Pallas’s cat.
This is why a group of researchers has focused on whether animals retreat to snowy heights to escape climate change. Apparently, the manul is also among the losers of the climate crisis, as many animals climb higher to find suitable habitats.
As part of the “Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition,” researchers have now proven the presence of the Pallas’s cat on Mount Everest. Based on fecal and urine samples at 5,100 and 5,190 meters, at least two specimens were documented. Additionally, researchers were able to study the animals’ diet. Even in cold heights, they fed on the same small mammals that are on their menu in the plains. Whether mountain weasels and pikas first retreated to the mountain and the Pallas’s cat merely followed its food remains to be seen.
Biodiversity in High Altitudes Not Sufficiently Researched
The “Sagarmatha National Park,” where researchers also documented the Pallas’s cat during their expedition, is one of the most protected yet frequently visited parks by tourists in Nepal. “We hope that confirming this charismatic species will raise awareness and education about the biodiversity of this iconic World Heritage site,” said Anton Siemon in a press release from the U.S. magazine “National Geographic.” This discovery could lead to the conservation of the Pallas’s cat, which is protected under the CITES agreement.
According to the researchers, their study is one of the first to address biodiversity at altitudes above 4,000 meters. Since this accounts for only about 3 percent of our planet’s landmass, this region has not been sufficiently explored. Further expeditions must now demonstrate how climate change also affects other animals that rely on a cold climate.1
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Sources
- 1. WCS Wild Audio Podcast, “S1 E11: Monitoring Biodiversity at the Top of the World” (accessed Feb. 6, 2023)
- Nationalgeographic.org, “First Report of Rare Cat Discovered on Mt. Everest” (accessed Feb. 6, 2023)
- T.A. Seimon et al. 2022. First report of Pallas’s cat in Sagarmatha National Park — Mount Everest Region, Nepal. Cat News 76