Sand Cat

Felis margarita

### Regions

Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan

## Habitat

### Water Area

200 m² +64 m²/ea. add'l
0 m²

### Temperature

0 m²
3‒43 ℃

## Social

### Fem. Bachelor

1‒2 (up to 1 male, up to 1 female)
1
1‒2

### Sterility

1 year
10 years

### Interbirth

2 months
12 months

## Taxonomy

### Order

Mammalia
Carnivora

### Genus

Felidae
Felis

The **Sand Cat** (*Felis margarita*) is a small Afro-Asiatic feline featured in the Arid Animal Pack DLC for *Planet Zoo*.

## Zoopedia Description

### General

**Population In Wild:** Unknown

The sand cat (or Felis margarita) is a small wild cat native to the deserts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. It has thick, colored fur, with thin, dark stripes across its back, legs, and tail. The sand cat's face is round, with dark, striped markings, large ears and yellow eyes. Males and females look alike, and are 9in to 14in tall at the shoulder, 15in to 21in long, with their tail measuring a further 9in to 12in. Male sand cats weigh 4.6lb to 7.5lb, while females are a little lighter at 3lb to 6.8lb.

Sand cats are not endangered and are considered a species of Least Concern, having previously been listed as Near Threatened. They are a protected species in several countries across their range, and a global captive breeding effort is maintained at many institutions.

### Social

Sand cats are solitary animals and only spend time together when they are mating, or when a mother is looking after her kittens.

### Reproduction

Female sand cats in estrus will vocalize and scent mark in order to attract a mate. Males will then track females through their scent. When a male and female sand cat meet, the female signals her willingness to mate by crouching down and moving her tail to the side. This allows the male to mount her and bite the back of her neck, before copulation ensues.

Pregnancies in sand cats last for 59 to 67 days, after which the female gives birth to a litter of 1 to 8 kittens, though usually 4 or 5. For the first 4 weeks of their lives, kittens exclusively feed on milk, and then begin eating regurgitated food from their mother. They are fully weaned by 2 months old and become mostly independent at 6 months of age.

Sand cats reach sexual maturity between the age of 9 to 14 months old, at which point they move away from their mother to establish their own territory.

## Animal Care

 FEEDING STATIONS
 FOOD ENRICHMENT
Bamboo Feeder · Piñata Pronghorn · Piñata Zebra · Skittle Feeder
Block of Ice · Blood Scent Marker · Cardboard Box · Gift Box · Tennis Ball · Rubbing Pad Bark · Rubbing Pad · Small Bubble Machine · Scots Pine/Tamarind Scratching Tree

## Trivia

* A litter of sand kittens may have multiple fathers if the mother mated with multiple males while in estrus.
* Sand cats have thick hair that grows between their toes to protect their paw pads from the hot sand.
* Sand cats are notoriously difficult to track because their light step does not leave footprints in the sand.
* Sand cats do not need to drink for weeks at a time because they get all the moisture they need from their prey.
* Sand cats have incredible hearing, even for a cat. Their auditory bullae (bony ear structures in the skull) are much larger than that of domestic cats and big cats.

## Gallery

First look at the Sand CatPlanet Zoo- Arid Animal Pack - Audio sample collectionAudio recordings for the Sand Cat