(ORDO NEWS) — People are obsessed with Everest! Despite the fact that the highest point in the world has already been conquered many times, every year climbers climb there again.
However, the mountain can still surprise! For example, its inhabitants. Recently, an elusive wild cat, the Pallas cat, was discovered on the mountain.
Manulas are very cute, but formidable creatures! They only seem clumsy and funny, but cats need to show character in order to survive in harsh conditions.
The Pallas cat may not look as spectacular as a lion or a tiger, but it is an incredibly photogenic animal.
A cat with rounded ears, a stocky body and an eternally dissatisfied expression is also called a manul. And it is perfectly adapted to the cold conditions of Asia.
Back in 2019, a group of National Geographic explorers went on an expedition to Everest.
During the trip, the team collected samples of cat litter from two different locations in Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park on Mt. Samples were taken from sites at an altitude of more than 5000 meters.
The team published their findings in the Winter 2022 issue of Cat News. “It’s phenomenal to find evidence of this rare species at the top of the world,” said biologist Tracey Simon.
DNA analysis of feces samples confirmed the presence of a minul in these areas, which probably fed on weasels and pikas (small mammals). These results shed light on the region’s biodiversity.
The researchers would like to better understand the cat population, range and diet on Mount Everest, so future work could include installing cameras or collecting more feces samples.
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