Felis margarita margarita
Felis margarita margarita, sometimes called the Saharan sand cat, is a subspecies of the sand cat native to the Sahara. Taxonomy. Victor Loche first described a sand cat zoological specimen found in the northern Algerian Sahara. He named it "Felis margarita" in recognition of Jean Auguste Margueritte, who headed the expedition into the Sahara. This is the nominate subspecies. Following Loche's description, Reginald Innes Pocock described two more sand cat specimens from North Africa in 1938: Today, these taxa are not recognized as valid but considered synonyms of "F. m. margarita", the nominate subspecies. Characteristics. The  Saharan sand cat is the smallest of all the four subspecies. It has a bright fur colour, pronounced markings and 2–6 rings on the tail. Distribution and habitat. The Saharan sand cat is patchily distributed in desert areas of Morocco, Algeria, Niger and Egypt. Ecology and behaviour. Sand cats prey on small rodents, birds and reptiles. They drink water if available, but satisfy most of their moisture need from prey, which they can dig out of the sand quickly. They have also been observed to hunt and consume horned and sand vipers. Reproduction. In the Sahara, sand cats mate in  the cold season between November and February. Young are born between January and April. A noise similar to a bark of a dog is thought to be a mating call. Captive sand cats normally have three kittens in a litter and have more than one litter per year. Threats. The sand cat is threatened by expanding human settlements, and is killed in traps set up by herders. Domestic dogs and cats are direct competitors for prey, and possibly transmit diseases.