Sand Cat Habitat Needs

However some diurnal activity in Arabia was recorded especially in winter when conditions were cooler.

Sand cat habitat needs. Habitat of the sand cat. They are considered opportunistic feeders that take what they can find in their barren habitat. The sand cat is mainly nocturnal and strictly hunts in the night.

Sand cats live in temperatures that sometimes rise to more than 40C 104F. Instead they live in dry sandy plains and rocky valleys. These felines also prefer a very dry arid habitat with little vegetation as well as flat or rolling terrains.

And in parts of central Asia. 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 food. Goodman and Helmy 1986 Primary Diet.

They are found in very arid habitats with little to no vegetation. Its foot pads are covered with thick hair. The sand cat rests in burrows during the day to seek protection from high or low air temperatures and to minimize the loss of moisture.

When temps become too extreme the sand cat will retreat to cooler burrows. Africas Sahara desert throughout the Arabian peninsula. 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.

With its sandy to light grey fur it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. The main factor to the increased extinction is habitat destruction due to industrialization Townsend et al. The Sand Cat primarily occupies sandy deserts but has also been recorded in stony and rocky deserts.