Pallas’s Cat Skull Replica

Description

Pallas’s cat skull replica measures 3.7 x 2.9 x 2.1 inches. The Otocolobus manul skull is a museum-quality polyurethane cast from California Academy of Sciences specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and mandible). 1:1 scale. Made in USA.

Pallas’s cat is native to the cold, dry grasslands and rocky mountain regions of Central Asia. Its native range extends from the Caucasus mountains eastward across Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and western China.

The Pallas’s cat is about the size of a domestic cat. Its body is 18 to 26 inches long. They tail measures 8.3 to 12.2 inches long. This animal weighs 5.5 to 5.9 pounds.

Clear black rings mark the tail, and dark spots cover the forehead. The cheeks are white with narrow black stripes running from the eye corners. Its chine and throat are white and merge into silky grey belly fur. White and black rims around the eyes highlight their round shape,

Its legs are shorter than those of other felines. The ears sit very low and wide apart. It has unusually short claws. The short face has a flattened look, and the pupils form circles rather than vertical slits.

These felines are not fast runners. They hunt mostly by ambush or stalking. They use low vegetation and rocks for cover. They geed largely on gerbils, pikas, voles, and birds. They also cat young marmots.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Carnivora
• Suborder: Feliformia
• Family: Felidae
• Subfamily: Felinae
• Genus: Otocolobus
• Species: O. manul
• Binomial name: Otocolobus manul
• Conservation status: Near Threatened

Adding the African wildcat male skull replica next to the Pallas’s cat skull lets guests see the contrast of a traditional long-nosed wildcat face against a completely flat-faced feline.

Combining the domestic cat skull replica into this display shows how a typical household pet jaw has extra teeth that this unique mountain predator lacks. Placing Gordon’s wildcat skull replica into the collection shows how the large, round eye sockets of a high-altitude hunter are compared to the standard desert felines eye sockets.