In 2017, sand kittens were photographed in the wild for the first time. The images of the adorable fluffballs went viral, as few people had seen them before, and not even scientists knew much about the species.
In 2017, sand kittens were photographed in the wild for the first time. The images of the adorable fluffballs went viral, as few people had seen them before, and not even scientists knew much about the species.
Gregory Breton
Dr. Grégory Breton, managing director of Panthera France, the global wild cat conservation organization, took the photographs after spotting the trio hiding in a shrub in the Moroccan desert, with their mother nearby.
Dr. Grégory Breton, managing director of Panthera France, the global wild cat conservation organization, took the photographs after spotting the trio hiding in a shrub in the Moroccan desert, with their mother nearby.
Gregory Breton
Breton is co-author of a four-year-long study on sand cats that was published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014019632200204X" target="_blank" target="_blank">Journal of Arid Environments</a> in March, which focuses on an area of desert in southern Morocco, where temperatures can soar up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It reveals new information on how the wild cats survive in harsh desert environments across their range.
Breton is co-author of a four-year-long study on sand cats that was published in the Journal of Arid Environments in March, which focuses on an area of desert in southern Morocco, where temperatures can soar up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It reveals new information on how the wild cats survive in harsh desert environments across their range.
Grégory Breton
The team captured and fitted 22 sand cats with VHF radio collars, and observed their movements between 2015 and 2019, to discover information about their ranges and nomadic lifestyle.
The team captured and fitted 22 sand cats with VHF radio collars, and observed their movements between 2015 and 2019, to discover information about their ranges and nomadic lifestyle.
Grégory Breton
Using radio collars was essential as sand cats are notoriously hard to track. They are predominantly nocturnal and their sandy coat camouflages them in the desert environment.
Using radio collars was essential as sand cats are notoriously hard to track. They are predominantly nocturnal and their sandy coat camouflages them in the desert environment.
Grégory Breton
The lesser jerboa is an important part of the sand cat's diet. The cats are carnivores and mainly hunt during the night.
The lesser jerboa is an important part of the sand cat's diet. The cats are carnivores and mainly hunt during the night.
Grégory Breton
Sand cats are lethal killers and are even known to feed on reptiles such as snakes. They don't drink water and rely on the blood of their prey for fluid, says Breton.
Sand cats are lethal killers and are even known to feed on reptiles such as snakes. They don't drink water and rely on the blood of their prey for fluid, says Breton.
Grégory Breton
The report discovered the sand cat's range to be much wider than previously thought -- rivaling that of larger cats, such as lions and leopards. One sand cat covered an area of up to 1,758 square kilometers.
The report discovered the sand cat's range to be much wider than previously thought -- rivaling that of larger cats, such as lions and leopards. One sand cat covered an area of up to 1,758 square kilometers.
Grégory Breton
According to the report, larger ranges could suggest that the sand cat's population is smaller than previously thought. Breton hopes the research will draw attention to the understudied species and help spearhead its protection.
According to the report, larger ranges could suggest that the sand cat's population is smaller than previously thought. Breton hopes the research will draw attention to the understudied species and help spearhead its protection.
Gregory Breton