SAND CAT  
Felis margarita

The Sand Cat is a very small wild cat (reaching a maximum of only 6 pounds) which lives in areas even too dry and hot for the Desert Cat ... such as the Sahara, the Arabian Desert, and the deserts of Iran and Pakistan. The head of this cat is noticeably quite broad, with large triangular, pointed ears. The color of the fur is a sandy yellow, sometimes with pallid bars which are more visible in the African subspecies. The mucosa of eyelids is a striking black. The fur on the tip of the tail is black, and the paws of this cat are covered with long hairs in order to protect the skin against the hot sand. Sand cats tend to hide under rocks during the heat of the day, and hunt at night. Because they obtain the water they need from their prey, they don't need to congregate around major water sources. In 2007, the first four kittens ever to be born in captivity were being raised at the Al Ain Zoo in the United Arab Emirates as an effort to preserve this unique small wild feline.

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