The shy Arabian sand cat has been spotted on the sands of the UAE for the first time in 10 years.
Otherwise known as the Felis margarita harrisoni, the Arabian sand cat has not been recorded on sight in the United Arab Emirates for 10 years. The sand cat is actually listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list.
The Arabian sand cat looks and weight pretty much like a typical domestic cat, and stand around 3 foot long. These shy creatures like to live in desert environments, like those in southwest Asia and North Africa. They are famous for their ability to handle both hot and cold temperatures, and their fur-covered paws are used to burrow into the sand dunes to keep cool.
The fur on their paws also helps them cover their tracks, which makes tracking down and studying the sand cat virtually impossible.
The constant decline in the world population of the Arabian sand cat is primary caused by human persecution. They are running out of habitat due to livestock over-grazing, and from ending up in traps intended for foxes and jackals. It is also popular to hunt down and kill sand cats for attacking chickens.
