Pictures of the Year International

A manuul, or Pallas' cat, looks out the grassland on the foothills of the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia on October 5, 2023. This larger-than-housecat sized mammal has no place to hide out on the steppe and thus depends on its excellent camouflage and low, flattened profile to remain unseen by predators. Despite a healthy population across the Mongolian steppes, the people of the Altai have widespread respect for the cat, alongside the snow leopard- both of which can be seen in carvings and art of the Altai region. Additional Metadata in Headline title: Manuul on the Steppe