Context. The ranges of many small, at-risk felid species occur almost entirely in unprotected areas, where research efforts are minimal; hence data on their density and activity patterns are scare.

Aims. We estimated density and activity patterns of Pallas’s cats on unprotected lands in central Mongolia during two periods (May–August and September–November) in 2019.

Methods. We used spatially explicit capture–recapture models to estimate population density at 15.2 ± 4.8 individuals per 100 km².

Key results. We obtained 484 Pallas’s cat images from 153 detections during 4266 camera-days. We identified Pallas’s cats using pelage markings and identified 16 individuals from 64 detections. Pallas’s cat activity was consistent between the two survey periods (~0.50), with cats mainly active during crepuscular hours in the first period and strictly diurnal in the second.

Conclusions. We provide the first estimation of a Pallas’s cat population density using camera-trapping. Compared with other methods used, densities were high in our study area, which was likely to be due to a combination of highly suitable habitat and abundant prey. Seasonal shifts in the activity patterns of Pallas’s cats indicated a likely adaptive response to reduced risk of depredation by raptors.

Implications. We recommend August to November as the best time for camera-trapping surveys for Pallas’s cats, given their high daily activity and the easiest interpretation of images used for individual identification collected during this time. We also suggest that future camera-trapping surveys of Pallas’s cat be mindful of potential camera-trap avoidance through time.

语境。许多小型，有风险的猫科动物的分布几乎全部发生在未受保护的地区，这些地区的研究工作很少。因此，有关其密度和活动模式的数据令人恐惧。

目的。我们估计了2019年蒙古中部未保护土地上的帕拉斯猫的密度和活动模式在两个时期（5月-8月和9月-11月）。

方法。我们使用空间显式的捕获-捕获模型来估计人口密度为每100 km ² 15.2±4.8个人。

关键结果。我们在4266个摄影天中从153次检测中获得了484张Pallas的猫图像。我们使用草皮标记识别了帕拉斯的猫，并从64次检测中识别出16个人。Pallas的猫活动在两个调查期间之间一致（约0.50），在第一个期间猫主要在夜间活动，在第二个期间严格昼夜活动。

结论。我们使用相机诱捕功能对帕拉斯猫的种群密度进行了首次估算。与其他使用的方法相比，我们研究区域内的密度很高，这很可能是由于高度合适的栖息地和丰富的猎物相结合所致。帕拉斯（Pallas）猫的活动模式的季节性变化表明，对猛禽降低掠夺风险的适应性反应很可能。

含义。我们建议将八月至十一月作为对Pallas的猫进行陷印调查的最佳时间，因为它们的日常活动量很高，并且对这段时间内收集到的用于个人识别的图像的解释最容易。我们还建议，将来对Pallas的猫进行的相机诱捕调查应注意可能会随着时间的推移避免使用相机诱捕。