Sand Cats Habitat Description

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 prey and spread diseases.

Sand cats habitat description. Height Dense soft fur that is pale sandgray above and paler underneath. The tail is ringed and there are dark horizontal bars on the legs. Instead they live in dry sandy plains and rocky valleys.

Sand cats prefer a very dry arid habitat with little vegetation for which they are well adapted. Velvet cats prefer to live in sand dunes but sometimes these animals are moving closer to the water. The Sand Cat is a small wild cats about the size of a domestic cat.

It is one of few wild cat species that occupies true desert habitat. The Sand cat hides leftover food in the sand. Sand cats live in temperatures that sometimes rise to more than 40C 104F.

From the Sahara through the Middle East to Turkestan. In the northern areas between the Aral and Caspian seas the sand cat occurs only sparsely in the more claylike desert soils of the Ustyurt and Mangyshlak regions. They are found in very arid habitats with little to no vegetation.

Sand cats are born hunters. Sand cats were obligate carnivores and nocturnal hunters. Its head-and-body length ranges from 3952 cm with a 2331 cm long tail.

Sand cats like their food. The sand cat is the only cat species that lives mostly in desert environments. Hairy foot pads help with traction on the loose sand and to insulate it from the extreme hot and cold temperatures of the desert.