Sandy deserts of Africa.
Millions of square kilometers of sand are complemented by sparse vegetation, clay soil
and rocky plateaus.
How could this place, devoid of water and pierced by a scorching hot wind, become home
for someone?
But even here, in the largest and hottest Sahara desert, more than 4 thousand species
of animals live.
The representative of the feline family also found a place among such a variety of living
creatures.
The hero of today's video is a real master of survival in a hot desert, namely a sand
cat.
Let's start.
The sand cat is one of the smallest representatives of the cat family.
The length of his body does not exceed 52 centimeters, excluding the tail, which adds
another 30 centimeters.
The animal weight ranges from 1.5 to 3.5 kilograms.
At the same time, males are slightly larger than females.
The cat habitat begins in the Sahara, passes through the Arabian Peninsula and ends in
the countries of central and southern Asia.
Thus, animals prefer the most desert and arid regions of Africa and Asia.
Animals need to be as prepared as possible in order to survive in such conditions.
And the sand cat clearly succeeded in this.
The fur color reliably disguises the animal against the sand background.
He has a different color depending on the habitat.
Therefore, there are 6 subspecies of the animal.
The cat is distinguished by a wide, flattened head and bizarre large ears, which provide
better heat regulation, although he is far from fenech in this regard.
During the day, the sand in the desert heats up to 80°C, so the soft and vulnerable paw
pads are protected from the hot surface by coarse wool, which also helps to move around
the dunes.
But the sand quickly cools as the sun sets.
The air temperature drops significantly, but the thick and soft fur allows you to feel
comfortable even on cold winter nights.
Cats wait out the heat of the day in shelters, in the role of which are the abandoned burrows
of other animals.
But the onset of darkness means it's time to go in search of food.
The sand cat moves secretly in short dashes, pressing the body to the ground as much as
possible.
During the night, the cat has to cover a distance of up to 10 kilometers in this way, because
it's not easy to find prey in the desert.
Big ears not only act as a thermostat, but also allow you to hear the smallest sound
vibrations even in the sand.
Their hearing is much finer than that
of domestic cats.
The
not too welcoming habitat of the sand cat is complemented by an impressive list of natural
enemies.
His modest size makes him an easy prey for larger predators.
For example, jackals, large snakes, monitor lizards and birds of prey.
The cat can only rely on exceptional vigilance and caution.
The sand cat can study its surroundings for about 20 minutes before leaving the shelter,
which helps him avoid encounters with predators.
And the same thing happens when he returns home.
The sand cat by all means avoids the company of other animals.
He tries to stay away from a human dwelling and meets with relatives only in the mating
season for just a few hours.
The offspring usually consists of 2-5 kittens, which are growing rapidly, and at the age
of 5 weeks, they are already participating in the hunt with their mother.
And upon reaching 6 months of age, they become practically independent.
In the wild, cats live for about 8 years, and in captivity, they live for up to 13 years.
Many facts from the life of this wild cat remain unknown due to his extreme secrecy.
Also, the total number of animals remains in question.
Presumably, there are about 50,000 of them.
Sand cats are caught for sale.
They also suffer from the destruction of their natural habitat.
Fortunately, they are not an object of hunting, but human economic activity is increasingly
pushing sand cats out of their native territory.