Sand Cat

About the Sand Cat

The sand cat is the only cat that lives in true desert, and it is small enough to be mistaken for a domestic cat until you look at the feet. The soles are covered in dense fur that insulates against burning sand and leaves almost no track — one reason the species went largely unstudied for so long. Broad ears set low on a wide head pick up prey moving beneath the surface.

How it lives

It hunts at night across dunes and stony flats, covering long distances and killing rodents, birds, reptiles and insects, including venomous snakes. It does not need to drink, taking its water from prey. Days are spent in burrows, often ones dug by other animals and enlarged. Sand cats are solitary outside breeding, and their range sizes are surprisingly large for such a small animal.

Where it lives

Pads across dunes at night, the only cat truly living in the desert. Its main habitat is the Sahara & Deserts, where the climate is scorching days above 45°C and surprisingly freezing nights.

Notable facts

• Fur on its paw pads lets it walk on scorching sand.
• It can survive without drinking, getting water from prey.
• Looks like a kitten even as a fully grown adult.

Conservation

The species is listed as of least concern, but that rating sits on thin data. It is naturally sparse, hard to survey, and vulnerable to degradation of desert vegetation by overgrazing, which removes the cover its prey depends on. Kittens are taken for the pet trade, and animals are killed by feral dogs and by traps set for other species.

Read the Wikipedia article →