Class-Mammal

Order-carnivore

Family-felidae

Genus-Feline

Species-margarita

My animal is the sand cat. They are nocturnal and their razor sharp claws are ideal for hunting animals during the night. They hunt by digging burrows in the ground and hiding in them until an animal comes close enough to be attacked or they sneak up behind their prey and then strike. When sand cats hunt their goal is to get close enough to their prey with out being heard or seen.

Sand cats hunt three different species of gerbils, reptiles, and arthropods. One interesting fact about sand cats is that they can live their whole life without any water. They get all of their liquids and nutrition from the animals that they hunt. Sand cats are one of the most difficult animals to study because when they walk in sand the paw prints that they leave are almost impossible to see with your eyes. Sand cats conserve their liquids by digging burrows in the sand and then they stay in the burrows during the heat of the day. Then they move when it’s cooler in the night. They are very stealthy at night. When a light or something bigger than them comes neat the sand cats lay on the ground in a ball and then they close their eyes so the light doesn’t glare in their eyes to let off and signals to show that they are there. During the day if they can’t find a spot to dig they would hide under a rock or a bush. They have fur on the bottom of their paws to provide traction while in very soft sand. It also keeps their pawn from getting burnt from the very hot sand. Their fur is very thick to provide shade for the sand cat’s body cool. Sand cats have big ears that are sensitive enough to hear animals underground.