Their paws have longer than usual fur which aids in traction while the cat moves across sandy regions and to help keep the pads of their paws protected from the hot sand. Much like the Snow Leopard has adapted to extreme cold weather and harsh conditions so has the Sand Cat in its survival in conditions that are just the opposite. They also have extra-large ears that make their head look disproportionate to the rest of their body but provide them with excellent hearing both above ground when trying to hear potential prey in the large expanse of open range and below the ground for burrowed prey.
They sleep by day and hunt by night and usually prey on small rodents and snakes and they use their acute hearing and strong forearms to locate underground burrows where small mammals reside.
Much like their larger counterparts, such as the Cheetah, the Sand cat is a solitary animal. They sleep by day in crevices, thick brush or vegetation and hunt by night. They develop early from kitten hood and reach their maturity at approximately 14 months of age and are pretty much self-sufficient from that point on.
Another unusual trait of the Sand cat is their ability to go without water for extended periods of time. Their need to live in desert regions has caused them to become adaptable to less intake of water by sustaining themselves with the fluid from the prey they catch. It's interesting what survival tactics come into play when the environment forces the issue.
Sand Cats live in very remote areas, such as Northern Africa and Central Asia and from what I've read it is not clear as to the status of their population.
I hope you've enjoyed this article and will stop by next month for a look at another member of the wildcat family, the jaguar.
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