This
is one of the more difficult cats to study in the wild. Their foot coverings
allow them to walk on sand without sinking, leaving their footprints nearly
invisible. They have learned to crouch down and shut their eyes when a light
is shone on them, which prevents the light from reflecting their eyes for
tracking. That combined with their protective coat color makes them blend
right into their habitat. They also bury all of their excrement making it
impossible to find and analyze so their diet can be studied.
Zoological name: Felis margarita
Species: "A Cat Called Margarita"
There are six different subspecies (types) of sand cat, each found in a
different part of northern Africa or southwest Asia.
- F. m. margarita (The Sahara, Algeria to Arabia )
- F. m. airensis (Niger and the Sudan )
- F. m. meinertzhageni (Sahara Algeria)
- F. m. thinobia (Turkestan )
- F. m. scheffeli (Pakistan )
- F. m. harrisoni (Arabia/Jordan )
F. m. thinobia is the largest of the subspecies and has almost no
patterning at all. Individuals from the western parts of the sand cat?s
range tend to be more brightly coloured and more distinctively marked.
These subspecies, and those of many other animals, are often the subject of
much taxonomic debate and many are disputed.
Presence on the planet: The sand cat inhabits the arid regions, in
five distinct populations in the Middle East. Two occur in the Sahara desert
in northern Africa, one population is in southern Saudi Arabia, one around
the Caspian Sea in Russia, and one in Pakistan.
Habitat: Sand cats inhabit inhospitable arid regions which are
characterized by rolling sand dunes, flat stony plains and rocky deserts.
They seems to display a preference for ergs, regions of shifting sand, and
areas of sand dunes covered with sparse vegetation.There is no freestanding
water throughout much of the range of the sand cat. They must rely on
getting sufficient moisture from their prey.
Physical appearance:The sand cat is a very small cat with short
legs. They have a very large wide head, and huge ears that set low on either
side of the head. The dense soft fur can be any color from sandy to a light
grey in ground color, with bands of dark brown to black around its legs,
dark bands coming from the corner of each eye on the sides of its face, and
a white muzzle. The cat also has black tabby markings on its face and body.
They have profuse hair covering the pads of their feet, to protect their
feet from the searing hot sands.
Diet: The diet of the Sand cat consists of small rodents, lizards,
insectsand snakes, which they stun with rapid blows to the head before
killing. The usually hunt at night.
Reproduction & offspring: These cats have been reported to have
2 litters per year in parts of their territory in both March-April, and
again in October. Gestation is 59-63 days, after which females produce a
litter of 2-4 kittens. At birth, the newborns weigh approximately 1.5-2
ounces, and will gain about 12 grams per day. Their eyes will normally be
open by the 14th day, and they will begin to walk by the 21st day. They
begin to take solid food at 5 weeks and become independent by 3-4 months.
They reach sexual maturity.
Births occur in the spring in India. A litter of one to three kittens is
born in a secluded den after a gestation of approximately 67 days. The
kittens lack the rusty spotting of the adults and their irises are light
blue. Nothing is known of their development but it is probably much like
that of domestic kittens.
Conservation status: Zoo populations of sand cats are dwindling, and
are extremely inbred, they are likely to have been descended from only one
wild-caught pair. Sand Cats can currently be seen at London Zoo and Twycross
Zoo. The irony of this situation is that F. m. scheffeli comprises the
captive populations, and this subspecies may be extinct in the wild.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists
the sand cat on Appendix II (Conservation and Legal Status of Wild Cats. Cat
News 12, 1990, p. 26.). All international commerce in sand cat products is
strictly regulated.
The IUCN Red List has the Pakistan sand cat (F. m. scheffeli) as Near
Threatened, other sand cats as Least Concern.
Life span: 13 years
Behaviour of Sand cat!
It is thought that their well-developed ears enable accurate location of
prey by sound alone, in a similar manner to the serval. Sand cats hunt
exclusively at night, but Mendelssohn (1989) reports that they are often
seen outside their burrows during the day. Sand cats have a contact call
which is a short, bark-like vocalization, a low-pitched miaow.
Sand cats display well-developed burrowing behaviour, it has been proposed
that they may also hunt for their food by digging.
