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| Scientific Name: Felis margarita |
Size: Head and body 18-23 inches (45-58cm);
tail 11-14 inches (28-35cm) |
| Weight: 4.5-9 pounds (2-4kg) |
| Distribution: Deserts of northern
Africa and western Asia. |
| Habitat: Inhospitable arid regions
characterized by rolling sand dunes, flat stony plains and rocky deserts. |
| Diet: Birds, jerboas, gerbils, small
mammals, hares, reptiles and locusts. |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of about 66 days, female gives birth to 2-4 kittens |
| Status: Near
Threatened |
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| Also known as the Sand-dune Cat or
Dune Cat. The scientific title of margarita was taken from the name of
a French officer, General Margueritte, who was serving in Algeria in the 1850s.
This small, pale, sandy-colored cat is easily recognized by its amazingly broad
head and huge, wide-set ears. Its short legs and compact body give it the appearance
of being permanently crouched. The longish tail has a black tip and a few black
rings near the tip. The fur is long, soft and dense. It has hairy feet, with long
tufts growing between the pads. Although it is nocturnal, hunting in the cool
of the desert night, this hairy padding on its |
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feet
means that, should it be driven out onto the painfully hot sand during the day,
its sensitive paw-pads would be protected. These tufts of hair also, incidentally,
give it a unique set of feline tracks, its footprints completely lacking any of
the usual sole-pad markings. As a protection against exposure, the Sand Cat is
an efficient burrower and can dig out its own den in the sand. One such den, that
was carefully excavated, proved to be 15 feet (4.5 meters) long and about 5.5
inches (14 cm) wide at the entrance - a considerable burrowing achievement for
a small cat.
A strictly nocturnal, ground-living hunter, the Sand Cat preys on any small desert
rodents, reptiles, or large insects that it can find in its hostile environment,
relying to a great extent on its incredibly sensitive hearing. It has been known
to feast on locusts, but its staple diet consists largely of jerboas, gerbils,
and other desert rodents. Unlike many cat species, the Sand Cat is able, if necessary,
to survive without drinking, obtaining all the liquid it needs from its prey.
Its main enemies are venomous snakes and desert birds of prey.
Found in the rocky, sand-dune regions of the deserts of northern Africa and western
Asia, it has been recorded from many parts of the Sahara. Specific countries where
its presence has been confirmed include (roughly from west to east): Morocco,
Algeria, Niger, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar,
Oman, Iran, Southern Russia (Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), and Pakistan. |
| SAND
CAT PHOTOS |
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