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Sand Cat
Sand Cat
The Sand cat looks a bit like a domestic cat, though with the addition of furry paws, giant ears, and a very curious personality. These cats are small and stocky, with short legs and a tail that is relatively long.

General Information:

Common Name:Sand Cat
Scientific Name:Sand Cat
Kingdom: Animalia
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family:Felidae
Suborder:Feliformia
Genus:Felis

Description

The Sand cat looks a bit like a domestic cat, though with the addition of furry paws, giant ears, and a very curious personality. These cats are small and stocky, with short legs and a tail that is relatively long. Their fur is generally a pale sandy color, usually with a white belly. A faint reddish line runs from the outer corner of each eye across the cheeks. There is dark brown to blackish bars on the limbs, and the tail has a black tip with two or three dark rings alternating with buff bands. Markings vary between individuals: some have neither spots nor stripes, some are faintly spotted, and some have both spots and stripes. Their feet are very thickly furred, which is thought to help them cope with the desert’s extreme temperatures-like wearing shoes to walk on hot asphalt.

Distribution

The Sand cat lives in northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and central and south-west Asia.

Habitat

It occurs in arid sandy and stony deserts, particularly among sparse vegetation.

Mating Habits

Sand cats are very shy and rare, so not much is known about their mating system. Living solitary lives except during the breeding season may mean that these cats are polygynous. It seems that their hearing is important for communication during the breeding season, the timing of which depends on the location: January-April (Sahara), September- October (Pakistan), and April (Turkmenistan). After gestation of 59 - 63 days, females produce 2 - 4 kittens, although they may bear two litters in the same year in some areas. Kittens grow fast and are nearly fully grown at five months old. They become completely independent at six to eight months of age, when they already are eating some solid food. They are sexually mature at 9 - 14 months old.

Diet

Sand cats eat rodents, birds, hares, reptiles, and insects. They use the moisture from their food to enable them to survive with no additional water, or very little.

Threats
  1. The primary threats to this species include the destruction of habitat by humans and the decline of their prey populations.
  2. They are also hunted for sport, and are easy targets, as they are not aggressive, and they like to sun themselves during the day on rocks. li>
  3. Another threat is the introduction of domestic and feral cats and dogs, which may prey upon, compete with, or transmit diseases to the Sand cat.


IUCN Status

Least Concern