Sand Cat Habitat And Food
They are found near the patches of sparse vegetation that can support their prey species and the cats have special adaptations to survive in the extreme desert conditions.
Sand cat habitat and food. It prefers areas of sparse vegetation mixed with sandy and rocky areas which supports rodent and small bird prey. Traps are set by people to kill foxes and wolves. It starts to hunt when it gets dark and works all night until dawn.
Sand cats are found in both sandy and stony desert. Sand cats are mostly carnivorous and eat a variety of prey such as gerbils sand voles hares spiders reptiles birds insects and venomous snakes. The sand cat of North Africa and the Middle East survives in a land with very little water by hunting at night and sleeping and keeping cool during the day.
Sand cats are also. Vulnerable arid ecosystems are being rapidly degraded by human settlement and activity especially livestock grazing Allan and Warren 1993 Al-Sharhan et al. The smallest cat species in Arabia the sand cat Felis margarita is well adapted to its arid desert habitat obtaining all the water it needs from its foodPrey capture is facilitated by the sand cats highly sensitive ears which are large and triangular and capable of detecting noises from animals both above and below the surface of the sand.
Farmers shepherd dogs sometimes kill sand cats. With its sandy to light grey fur it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. Arabian Sand Cat Distribution Habitat and Ecology.
The sand cat also known as the sand dune cat is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. The long hair covering the. Sand Cats feed on rodents birds lizards and snakes and they are generally active throughout the night aided in hunting by their excellent night vision.
Habitat degradation is the major threat to the sand cat. In Turkmenistan the sand cat was described as most abundant amongst extensive stabilized sand dunes and heavier clay soil habitats. When it gets too hot or cold they retreat into a burrow.