Why Russian Pallas's Cat Look Fatter Than Else?

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Zayu Chushoujun

1 month ago

Why do Pallas's cats in Russia look way fatter than the ones everywhere else?
Here's the thing—they look super chunky, but honestly, there's not much meat on them. It's all fluff. Their fur is incredibly long and thick—much coarser and denser than human hair, and so fluffy it makes them look twice their actual size.
The Russian ones belong to the baikalensis subspecies. Since Siberia is freezing cold, they've evolved much longer fur compared to the plateau subspecies (nigripecta) in China and the Central Asian subspecies (manul). Those guys just don't need all that extra fluff, so naturally, they look a lot less… fluffy than their Russian cousins.