Species comparison
Pallas's Cat vs Pampas Cat
A side-by-side look at Otocolobus manul and Leopardus colocola across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The pallas's cat averages about 1.2 times the body mass of the pampas cat.
- Both species use steppe and rocky alpine.
- Their ranges do not overlap: Pallas's Cat lives in Asia, Pampas Cat in South America.
- Red List categories differ: Pallas's Cat is listed as Least Concern, Pampas Cat as Near Threatened.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Pallas's Cat
Otocolobus manul
Pampas Cat
Leopardus colocola
Pallas's Cat
Otocolobus
Pampas Cat
Leopardus
Pallas's Cat
Leopard cat lineage
Pampas Cat
Ocelot lineage
Pallas's Cat
Small cats
Pampas Cat
Small cats
Pallas's Cat
Manul, Steppe cat
Pampas Cat
Colocolo, Gato de los pajonales
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Pallas's Cat
18 in – 2 ft 2 in (46–65 cm)
Pampas Cat
17 in – 2 ft 7 in (42–79 cm) Longer
Pallas's Cat
8 in – 12 in (21–31 cm)
Pampas Cat
9 in – 13 in (22–33 cm) Longer
Pallas's Cat
11 in – 13 in (28–32 cm)
Pampas Cat
12 in – 14 in (30–35 cm) Taller
Pallas's Cat
5.5–9.9 lb (2.5–4.5 kg) Heavier
The heavy coat makes the animal look considerably larger than it is.
Pampas Cat
4.4–8.8 lb (2–4 kg)
High-altitude animals tend to be larger and longer-coated.
Pallas's Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured; the species relies on concealment rather than escape speed.
Pampas Cat
Not reliably measured
Not measured in the field.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Pallas's Cat
8–11 years
Pampas Cat
9–12 years Longer
Pallas's Cat
11–14 years
Pampas Cat
12–16 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Pallas's Cat
steppe, rocky alpine, semi-arid scrub, desert
Cold, dry grassland, rocky outcrops and mountain steppe up to about 17,000 feet, where winter temperatures fall far below freezing and snow cover stays shallow.
Pampas Cat
grassland, steppe, semi-arid scrub, dry forest, rocky alpine
Open habitats with cover at ground level: pampas grassland, Andean puna, Patagonian steppe, Chaco scrub and dry woodland.
Pallas's Cat
Asia
Mongolia, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and parts of the Caucasus and northern India.
Pampas Cat
South America
From Ecuador and Colombia south through Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina to Patagonia.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Pallas's Cat
small mammals, birds, insects
Pikas and voles form the core of the diet; ground birds, marmots and insects are taken opportunistically.
Pampas Cat
small mammals, birds, reptiles
Small rodents, ground-nesting birds and their eggs, lizards and occasional invertebrates.
Pallas's Cat
Solitary
Shelters in rock crevices and abandoned marmot burrows, and depends on those refuges both for cover and for raising kittens.
Pampas Cat
Solitary
Poorly known; observations are scattered and there are very few radio-tracking studies.
Pallas's Cat
Crepuscular and cathemeral
Most active around dawn and dusk, but activity shifts through the day in cold weather and near pika colonies.
Pampas Cat
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Mostly active at night, with daytime records from high-altitude and cold environments.
Pallas's Cat
Stalk and ambush at burrow entrances
The cat waits beside pika holes or creeps along rock lines, using cover rather than speed to close the distance.
Pampas Cat
Ground search in tussock cover
Works methodically through grass and scrub, flushing and pouncing on rodents.
Pallas's Cat
Limited
Heavy-bodied and short-legged; it scrambles over rock but is not an agile climber.
Pampas Cat
Capable More developed
Climbs when trees are available but is essentially terrestrial.
Pallas's Cat
Very limited
Occupies dry, cold habitats and avoids water.
Pampas Cat
Very limited
No significant association with water.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Pallas's Cat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2020
Pampas Cat
NT — Near Threatened
Assessed 2020
Pallas's Cat
Decreasing
Pampas Cat
Decreasing
Pallas's Cat
Rodent poisoning campaigns, Loss of marmot burrows used as dens, Killing by herding dogs, Trapping and incidental snaring, Overgrazing of steppe habitat
A wide range keeps the global category low, but the species is naturally sparse everywhere, and the loss of marmots and pikas to poisoning campaigns removes both prey and shelter.
Pampas Cat
Grassland conversion to agriculture, Persecution near poultry, Dogs in rural landscapes, Road mortality, Unresolved taxonomy hampering targeted action
Conversion of native grassland to crops and pasture is the main pressure, alongside heavy fragmentation in the pampas and Chaco.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Pallas's Cat
- It has round pupils rather than the vertical slits typical of small cats.
- Kittens are highly susceptible to toxoplasmosis outside their native range, a long-standing problem in zoos.
- Its coat contains more hairs per square inch than that of any other felid.
Pampas Cat
- The coat can differ so much between populations that specimens were once split into several species.
- It occupies one of the widest altitude ranges of any American cat, from sea level to Andean puna.
- Field records remain so sparse that basic life-history data are still missing for many regions.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- PICA — Pallas's Cat International Conservation Alliance Range-wide status review and field ecology of the Pallas's cat.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.