Nature Trail

A trio of mammals

Manul - a feline beauty

You were introduced to a number of small wild cats in a series of articles published in Nature Trail last year. Today we thought of introducing you to yet another member of the feline family.

Considered to be one of the most mysterious of small wild cats, the manul (Otocolobus manul) is also known as the Pallas? cat (Felis manul) after the German naturalist Peter Pallas (1741-1811) who first described the cat in his writings on Russian fauna. However, he suggested wrongly at that time that the manul was the ancestor of the Persian cat.

But it is not so. Manul is the Mongolian and Russian name for this cat which was hunted extensively for its fur coat, especially in Mongolia. It is now a protected species in China. The manul is also called the Steppe cat and rock wild cat.

Well, now that we?ve got all the names by which this member of the felidae family is known, let?s check out its habitat, appearance and lifestyle

Researchers say the manul is the oldest living species of cat, having evolved about 10 million years ago. It is one of the 38 species of cat existing around the world. This carnivorous mammal inhabits the Asian steppes at heights up to 4,000 m or 13,000 ft and grasslands extending from the Caspian Sea to western central China.

It rests or sleeps in caves, burrows and other protected hollows during the day so you may not see it much unless when it?s active around dusk, foraging (searching) for food. It is known to commonly chase its prey, but researchers have also observed the manul waiting in ambush for prey outside dens and burrows.

What exactly is its prey? The manul hunts pikas, rabbits, hares and small birds. It hunts mostly at night. Males are believed to have a home range of about 45 sq km.

Let?s check out its appearance - many claim that the manul is a beautiful long-haired cat. It has a fur coat which is ochre, sandy grey to russet in colour with vertical bars, which are sometimes not clear, on it. It is said to be the longest and densest of coats; its winter coat which is lighter in colour (greyer and less marked) is thick and plushy (luxurious) with the fur on the underbelly and tail, twice as long as the fur on the rest of its body.

The thick fur provides insulation in the winter. It could be seen resting with its bushy tail wrapped around its body, like a muffler. The tips of the longer fur are generally white and this gives the manul a ?frosted? appearance. Apart from the thick coat, the manul has several features that distinguishe it from other members of the feline family.

They are its high-set eyes which have strikingly round pupils; which contract to small circular pupils rather than slits as in most other cats, a relatively flat face and low-set ears which give it an owl-like appearance, short legs, and a rather bulky rump.

The tip of the tail is invariably dark or black with about four rings on it. There are black spots on the face and black stripes on each chin. Lips, chin and throat are basically white.

Very little is known about its reproduction, but researchers say the female gives birth to a litter of 1-8 kittens (typically 3 or 4) after a gestation period of about 70 days.

It is believed that the manul lives for 10-12 years in captivity. Three sub species are recognised of this small wild cat which has been listed as near threatened by environmentalists and researchers.

Grison - a good hunter

A member of the ferret family (Mustelidae), the grison is found is central and South America from Southern Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia, in the savannas and reforests near rivers and streams.

There is the greater grison and the lesser grison found in different regions with slight variations in appearance. In general however, the grison is a terrestrial and nocturnal animal with some diurnal activity shown in the mornings. The name grison has been derived from a French word which means grey. It has a ferret-like long slender body, short legs, strong, short curved claws, small broad ears and partially webbed feet which assist the animal in its swimming activities.

The greater grison (Galictis vittatas) is grizzled grey in colour with a white stripe of fur running down from the forehead, over the ears as far as the shoulders. This separates the black coloured face, throat and chest area from the rest of the long, soft haired coat.

It is on average about 20 inches long from head to body with a tail about six inches. The grison weighs around 3 to 7 pounds. It feeds on a variety of food such as chinchillas, rodents and other small mammals and small vertebrates including fish, amphibians and birds.

The lesser grison (Galictis cuja) is found mostly in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Paraguay. Unlike the greater grison, the lesser grison has a black underside (belly, throat and legs) and a yellowish grey or brown coat of fur.

The fur is coarse, heels are hairy, but soles are bare. It weighs about one kilogram.

Both types of grison can be easily trained to hunt chinchillas from underground dens. They are kept as pets by some people. The female builds nests underground, often in burrows dug by other animals and gives birth to 2-4 young, around October.

The lesser grison is recognised for its aggressiveness.

Grisons prefer to live under tree roots or rocks, hollow logs or in burrows.

Cacomistle - the raccoon?s cousin

Even though the cacomistle (Bassariscus sumichrash) is a small mammal, it is a very agile and alert creature. As a cousin of the raccoon, the cacomistle also belongs to the Procyonidae family.

If you are wondering as to why this tiny creature has been given such a tongue- twisting name let?s find out. It?s a term which has originated from the Nahualt language which means ?half cat and half mountain lion?.

However, the animal is not at all related to the cats, so perhaps the name has been given due to its appearance and also for some cat-like qualities it has. The name cacomistle is sometimes used to refer to the ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus) too which is a similar species.

The cacomistle is also called the miner?s cat, coon cat or the civet cat by some people.Ranging from south Mexico to western Panama, the cacomistle can be found in habitats such as wet, tropical and evergreen woodlands and also in mountain forests. As the animal is heavily dependent on forest habitats deforestation could pose a severe threat to this animal.

The cacomistle, though similar in shape to its cousin, the racoon, is more slender and has shorter limbs. It has a soft, but thick fur coat which is either grey or tan coloured with black-tipped hair on top and a yellow-white underside, an enormous fluffy tail marked with black and white rings, sharp muzzle, broad fox-like face and white patches around the eyes to set off the bright, dark eyes. It is about six inches high at the shoulder and about 25-32 inches long from head to body. It weighs around 2 to 3 lbs.

It is an arboreal animal and a good climber. Its semi-retractile claws and the tail which is used for balance, help the animal to move about comfortably on trees. This agile creature is nocturnal and attacks its prey in a cat-like fashion.

During the daytime it could be seen resting in dens lined with moss, leaves or grass. Its diet comprises small mammals, insects such as grasshoppers and beetles, birds, lizards and frogs.

The female gives birth to one or five young (typically three) between May and June. The exact gestation (pregnancy) period is not known, but researchers believe it could be somewhere between 40-47 days. The kits, as they are also called are born attrical, meaning they are blind, deaf and toothless. They are weaned of mother?s milk when they are three weeks old.

Their eyes open by about four to five weeks. When they are about two months, the young are able to hunt with the parents. Even though it is the mother who takes care of the young, the female tolerates the presence of the father around the young and even allows him to play with them.

The young become totally independent after four or five months. The cacomistle is known to make a variety of sounds. It chirps, chatters, squeaks, kisses and even barks.

This quiet solitary creature is listed as vulnerable and needs to be protected before it becomes a threatened species like many creatures around the world.

Facts and pix: Internet