Calgary Zoo’s Pallas’s cats find -50 C a breeze
Posted Dec 24, 2022 5:23 pm.
Last Updated Dec 29, 2022 12:00 pm.
The Calgary Zoo explains how its Pallas’s cats endure extreme cold temperatures, as they consider -50 C a breeze.
“How does a 5 kg cat stay warm at -50 C? Well, Pallas’s cats, like Pema, have the thickest fur of any cat, so they can survive the harsh winters of their native home, the Central Asian steppe,” said the zoo in a tweet.
How does a 5 kg cat stay warm at -50 °C? Well, Pallas's cats, like Pema, have the thickest fur of any cat, so they can survive the harsh winters of their native home, the Central Asian steppe. Calgary winters are a breeze for Pallas's cats! ????️???? #OurZooYYC pic.twitter.com/hDCNdcjZwu
— Calgary Zoo (@calgaryzoo) December 21, 2022
The zoo explains that the cats’ long fur acts as a coat to protect them from extreme cold. The actual size of the breed is way smaller than they seem, as a result of the long-thick fur.
“Pallas’s cats are shy and like to hang out alone. You can find them hanging out in caves and rock crevices,” said the zoo on its website. “Your best chance at catching a glimpse of one of these wild cats is early in the morning or at dusk, when they are usually in search of food. They hunt pika, ground squirrels, and birds.”
The zoo welcomed the sister cats, Nox and Pema, in October 2019 from Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
However, the zoo says Nox left for a new home fall 2022.
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In a statement to CityNews, the zoo says their golden eagle, Fran, has been “gone” for many years.
“The destination where the other Pallas’s cats reside was renamed to Exploration Asia a few years ago (no longer Eurasia),” added the zoo.
Pallas’s cats normally live in the mountainous regions of Central Asia and they like cold weather conditions. They are also known as “Otocolobus manul.”
The breed is threatened of extinction, as their population is decreasing, according to the zoo.
