The Sand Cat

The sand cat is a small cat, but not the smallest of cats (that title goes to the black footed cat). The sand cat weighs 4.5 to 6.5 pounds and measures between 26 and 36 inches long. It lives in rocky and sandy deserts in North Africa and Southeast and Central Asia. 

The sand cat is hard to observe because it spends most of its day in a burrow. It only comes out at night to hunt for food. The sand cat can travel up to 3.4 miles per night in search of food! Its diet includes desert rodents, birds, lizards and invertebrates. If they hunt more than they can eat, sand cats will bury the rest to eat later. Its appearance helps makes it a good hunter. Its fur, which is a sandy brown color with red and dark brown markings, blends in to the sandy savanna. Its ears are large and low set, and are able to detect underground prey and the ultra-sonic calls of rodents that can't be heard by humans! Sand cats are also very quiet and fast, with softly padded paws and retractable claws. Their long hair covers their paws which helps protect their feet from the extremely hot and cold desert temperatures. 

Predators of the sand cat include wolves, venomous snakes, and larger cats such as caracals. One of its biggest predators, the eagle, is very dangerous to young sand cats. Habitat loss and sand dune destruction are also threats to sand cats. 

Cool Fact: Sand cats get all the water they need from their prey, but will drink water if they can find it!