Scientists have captured rare close-up images of the “rarely seen” Pallas’s cat living on the world’s highest mountain, Everest.
The Pallas’s cat, also known as the Manul, is a wild cat with a gray coat, roughly the size of a domestic cat. Typically, they inhabit high steppes and grasslands in Central Asia.
Due to their solitary nature and isolated habitat, humans rarely encounter Pallas’s cats in the wild.
The Pallas’s cat may appear gentle, but it is actually quite fierce.
“It is extraordinary to find evidence of this rare and remarkable species at the peak of the world’s highest mountain,” said Dr. Tracie Seimon from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Animal Health Program in a press release reported by Huff Post on January 28.
Dr. Tracie Seimon noted: “The discovery of the Pallas’s cat on Everest highlights the richness and biodiversity of this remote high-altitude ecosystem and extends the known range of the Pallas’s cat to eastern Nepal.”
The video footage capturing the Pallas’s cat shows that it has a “fluffier” appearance compared to other cat species and seems to be quite cunning.
