A red fox captured a Pallas’s cat in the wild

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Roman Paulovverified_filled

2 days ago

Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve, China has shared a rare footage: a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with the body of a Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul).

The reserve notes that cases of red foxes preying on manuls are not common. Within the Sanjiangyuan ecosystem, such behavior is not merely the “law of the jungle,” but rather a reflection of interspecific competition and an opportunistic predatory strategy under conditions of strong ecological niche overlap.

Both the red fox and the manul primarily feed on small mammals such as pikas. However, in addition to pikas, the fox actively consumes carrion and is capable of taking larger prey, including marmots. Although the ecological niches of the fox and the manul are partially differentiated, during periods of resource scarcity the larger and more omnivorous fox may perceive the manul as a competitor. Elderly, young, or weakened manuls are especially vulnerable and more likely to fall victim to a highly opportunistic fox.

Such mutual restraint among mesopredators reflects the self-regulating mechanisms of the high-altitude ecosystem. At the same time, these dynamics are influenced by external factors such as climate change, habitat loss, and other ecological disturbances. All of this forms part of the complex and fragile mosaic of the Sanjiangyuan ecosystem.

However, the exact circumstances under which the fox in the photograph obtained the manul remain unknown: it is unclear whether the cat was old or ill, or whether the fox found it already dead.

A photo of a Pallas's cat in Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve

Source: https://weibo.com/1593917140/QtkJgEuqY