This low degree of genetic differentiation between the African and Asian sand cats indicates that the Sinai Peninsula may have been a barrier to gene flow. Īnalysis of mitochondrial DNA of 47 individuals from across the sand cat's range showed that their haplotypes differed only by one to three base pair mutations. thinobia is larger in size with reduced markings and a darker, more greyish coat it occurs in West and Central Asia. margarita is smaller in size and more yellow-coloured spotted or striped fur it occurs in North Africa. The Cat Classification Task Force of the Cat Specialist Group reviewed the existing information and in 2017 recognized only two subspecies based on morphological differences, namely: aïrensis synonyms of the nominate subspecies F. harrisoni were recognised as valid taxa by W. At the time, it was considered possible that sand cats eventually recorded in Afghanistan and Iran might constitute distinct subspecies. scheffeli were temporarily recognized as valid taxa. harrisoni proposed by Hemmer, Grubb and Groves in 1976 was described on the basis of a skin and skull of an adult male sand cat captured in 1967 in Umm al Samim, Oman. scheffeli proposed by German zoologist Helmut Hemmer in 1974 was described on the basis of seven sand cats that had been captured alive in Pakistan's Nushki desert. aïrensis proposed by Pocock in 1938 was a female specimen collected in the Aïr Mountains in 1937. meinertzhageni proposed by Pocock in 1938 was a sand cat skin from the Algerian Sahara. Later he considered it a sand cat subspecies, which to date is widely recognised. In 1938, Reginald Innes Pocock also considered it a species, but subordinated it to the genus Felis using the scientific name Felis thinobius. The specimen had been collected in the eastern Karakum Desert in Turkmenistan. Eremaelurus thinobius was proposed as a species by Sergey Ognev in 1926.In the 20th century, the following zoological specimens of sand cats were described: The species was named after the French General Jean Auguste Margueritte. This holotype specimen appears to have been lost. The sand cat's ecological requirements are still poorly understood, as only a few in-depth studies targeting wild sand cat populations have been conducted.įelis margarita was the scientific name proposed by Victor Loche in 1858 who first described a sand cat specimen found in the area of "Négonça" in the northern Algerian Sahara. In spring, the female gives birth to two to three kittens, which become sexually mature around the age of one year. It also kills and consumes venomous snakes. It moves 5.4 km (3.4 mi) on average at night in search of small rodents and birds. The sand cat usually rests in underground dens during the day and hunts at night. Due to its wide distribution and large population, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. In the early 1970s, sand cats were caught in southwestern Pakistan and exported to zoos worldwide. It is discontinuously distributed in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. The large gap between these two regions of its global range was partially closed in 1948, when a sand cat skin was found in an oasis of the Rub' al Khali in Oman. In Central Asia, it was first recorded in the Karakum Desert in 1925. To date, it has been recorded in several disjunct locations in Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Chad, Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East. The first sand cat known to scientists was discovered in the Algerian Sahara and described in 1858. The long hair covering the soles of its paws insulates its pads against the extremely hot and cold temperatures in deserts. Its 5–7 cm (2.0–2.8 in) short ears are set low on the sides of the head, aiding detection of prey moving underground. With its sandy to light grey fur, it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. The sand cat ( Felis margarita) is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. Otocolobus margarita Heptner and Dementiev, 1937.
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