Conditions are extreme in the desert, and temperatures can reach 124º F during the day, and 31º F at night. It also includes birds, reptiles and arthropods. They are excellent diggers and will dig up rodents out of their burrows. Founder and Ceo of mySandy Paws. Sand cats are great hunters; their sleek bodies and cushioned feet … Sand cats occur across the Sahara Desert, from Morocco in the west to as far as Egypt and the Sudan in the east. Andrei's background is in geophysics, and he's been fascinated by it ever since he was a child. Today we decided to share with you the 10 most interesting facts about sand cats. These adorable creatures are becoming endangered. Sand Cats live in burrows aband… This species lives in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Pakistan and the countries of Central Asia. They are distributed throughout the deserts of North Africa and Asia. All Rights Reserved. 1. This prey is usually small rodents, but occasionally the sand cat will hunt hares, birds, spiders, insects, and reptiles. The secretive way of life of this cute animal contributed to the fact that only in 1858 the French naturalist Victor Loche made the official description and classification of the sand cat. In Asia, sand cats occur throughout the Karakum Desert and Kyzylkum Desert. To make matters worse, they’re easy to kill by humans, often for sport, because they freeze when pursued. Description: Length: 65-90cm, Tail length: 25-35cm, Weight: 2-5kg. Sand cat: the amazing animal that doesn’t need to drink water. The Sand cat lives in northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and central and south-west Asia. foxes). Sand Cats show a scattered distribution across the Arabian Peninsula but their status and distribution are not well known. Sand cats have an acute sense of hearing and patiently wait to hear prey moving under the sand. Sand cats live exclusively in desert regions. Some are killed by humans who consider them a threat to their livestock. Vulnerable arid ecosystems are being rapidly … The sand cat inhabits both sandy and stony deserts. Number of sand cats decreased drastically in the past couple of decades due to habitat loss, poaching, recreational hunt and introduction of new species (which compete for … The subspecies in Africa is generally smaller than its Asian counterpart. A Big Blue Marble. Habitat is also destructed through political strife and civil war. The IUCN Red List has standardised habitat types globally and there is only one primary habitat type suitable for Sand Cats across its full range (IUCN 2018): Copyright © Cats For Africa 2020 - This Page Last updated: Apr 1, 2020 at 17:14 pm, Possibly extinct: Israel, Pakistan, Yemen, Lists by Common Name, by Genus and by Lineage, Wild Cat Species of Africa with Subspecies. The cat inhabits the deserts of northern Africa as well as Southwest and Central Asia. This video, narrated in French, shows the dry, flat desert habitat of the Sahara occupied by the African Sand Cat, also known as the Sand Dune Cat. What do Sand Cats Eat? In Qatar, sightings a small numbers of Sand Cats and have been reported from sand dunes. There is also increased infrastructure development and human settlement on sand cat lands. The animals are able to survive in extreme hot and cold temperatures from 23 °F (−5 °C) to 126 °F (52 °C), retreating into their burrows when it … In the Arabian Peninsula sand cat habitat continues to decline. It might look like a house cat, but make no mistake — this feline is a versed hunter. Sand cats are mostly carnivorous and eat a variety of prey such as gerbils, sand voles, hares, spiders, reptiles, birds, insects and venomous snakes. But what’s ‘Yule’ anyway. They’re also very solitary by nature as they come together only for mating during the April season. The sand cat, also called the sand dune cat, is the smallest of all wild cats. Sand Cats are the most difficult to study cat breeds in the wild. For a full classification of this wild cat see Felis Lineage - Felis margarita Classification. This actually occurred as a result of one being seen in the Sahara, quite by accident. Sand cats live in sandy and stony deserts such as Sahara, Arabian desert and deserts in Pakistan and Iran. They are found in very arid habitats with little to no vegetation. The Sand Cat primarily occupies sandy deserts but has also been recorded in stony and rocky deserts. Against the sand cat is a chronic disease caused by obligate intracellular protozoan.. In Africa is generally smaller than its Asian counterpart other desert animals such as vipers and rodents extremely resilient with... Reported from sand dunes are killed by humans who consider them a raw 'natural ' diet meats... They occupy areas in the past been recorded in Syria, Iran east. 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