Sand Cat Endangered Facts

Sand cat is small animal that can reach 16 to 18 inches in length and 4 to 8 pounds in weight.

Sand cat endangered facts. Sand Cats are the most difficult to study cat breeds in the wild. Sand cats are threatened by habitat loss hunting and collection for the pet trade. Humans feral domestic dogs lions jackals wild dogs venomous snakes and birds of prey hunt the sand cat.

They occupy areas in the desert that has small shrubs and receive rainfall less than 20mm a year. Habitat degradation is the major threat to the sand cat. This endangered breed is found in the Sahara desert of North Africa Middle Eastern countries and even in Central Asia.

Extinct in Wild EW Critically Endangered CR Endangered EN Vulnerable VU Near Threatened NT Least Concern LC Not Evaluated NE Care and Wellness. The sand cat is the only wild cat that is not threatened with loss of habitat since it is found in the desert. Reproduction of the Sand Cat.

After mating the female sand cat has a gestation period of 59 67 days. The sand cats small mammal prey base depends on having adequate vegetation and may experience large fluctuations due to drought Sunquist and Sunquist 2002 or declines due to desertification and loss of natural vegetationOther localized threats include the introduction of feral and domestic dogs and cats creating direct competition and through predation and. Sand cats are being protected and conserved by prohibiting theirhunting in.

Feral cats and dogs competing for prey. Sand cats leave almost no footprint as they walk across the sand. The litter usually consists of 2 4 kittens with numbers up to 8 occurring as well.

The sand cat is endangered because they are hunted by humanscollected and sold. Vulnerable arid ecosystems are being rapidly degraded by human settlement and activity especially livestock grazing Allan and Warren 1993 Al-Sharhan et al. Sand cat is listed as nearly threatened which means that it may become endangered in the near future.