The Sand cat
Sand cat is a small wild cat distributed over African and Asian deserts The Sand cat lives in arid areas that are too hot and dry even for the African Wildcat: the Sahara, the Arabian Desert, and the deserts of Iran and Pakistan.
The sand cat was first described by Victor Loche in 1858, who named the species Felis margarita after Jean Auguste Margueritte, the leader of the expedition during which he had discovered the animal.
The sand cat is a relatively small, stocky cat with short legs, a long tail, and large, pointed ears. The head is conspicuously broad, and the ears are so widely spaced that they can be flattened horizontally, or even pointed down to aid in hunting.
The color of the fur is a pale sandy yellow over most of the body, with pallid bars which are sometimes hardly visible, and is white on the chin and underside. Generally the bars are more visible in the African subspecies. There are black bands on the legs and tail, and reddish lines running across the cheeks from the outer corners of the eyes. In winter, the coat can be very thick, with the hairs reaching up to 2 inches (5.1 cm) in length. The eyes are large and greenish yellow in color, while the nose is black.
Unusually among Asian cats, the sand cat has long hairs growing between its toes. These create a cushion of fur over the foot pads, helping to insulate them while moving over hot sand. The claws on the hind feet are small and blunt; combined with the fur over the foot pads, this helps to make the animal's tracks obscure and difficult to follow.
The mucosa of their eyelids is a striking black. Accompanying the large ears, the auditory bullae are also unusually large, giving the cat an enhanced sense of hearing, probably helping it to pick up vibrations in the sand. Similar adaptations are found in other desert animals, such as the fennec fox.
Behavior
Sand cats live solitary lives outside of the mating season. They inhabit burrows, typically using either abandoned fox or porcupine burrows, or enlarging those dug by gerbils or other rodents. The completed burrow is generally straight, with a single entrance, and reaching up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length. The sand cat comes out after dusk to hunt rodents, lizards, birds, and insects, although their diet may consist mostly of rodents.
They "skulk" close to the ground and will use any available cover to protect themselves. Using their large ears they listen for prey, digging rapidly when they hear it underground. Since the Sand cat obtains all the water it needs from eating its prey, it mostly stays far away from watering points where other predators may harm it.
Sand cats congregate only for mating, so counting them is a difficult task. It seems however that their numbers have been declining in the Arabian desert following a decrease in their prey. They have been observed to travel from 5 to 10 kilometres (3.1 to 6.2 mi) per night in search of prey, but, unlike most other cats, do not defend their territories, and may even "take turns" over burrows.
Sand cats communicate using scent and claw marks on objects in their range, and by urine spraying, although they do not leave their feces in exposed locations as many other felids do. They make vocalizations similar to domestic cats, but also make loud, high-pitched barking sounds, especially when seeking a mate.
A Sand cat kitten
Oestrus in sand cats lasts from five to six days, and is accompanied by calling and increased scent marking. An average litter of three kittens is born after 59 to 66 days, typically around April or May, although, in some areas, sand cats may give birth to two litters per year. The kittens weigh 39 to 80 grams at birth, with spotted pale yellow or reddish fur. They grow relatively rapidly, reaching three quarters of the adult size within five months of birth. Sand cats are fully independent by the end of their first year, and reach sexual maturity not long after.
Little is known about the Sand cat's life expectancy in the wild, but it can live up to 13 years in captivity.
Pictures:
http://www.google.ee/images?q=The+Sand+cat&hl=et&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=jK_4TJWGAoHAswb4x4TDAw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQsAQwAA&biw=1366&bih=548pallid- kahvatud
dusk- pimedus
rodents- närilised
congregate- kogunema
scent-lõhn
Älis Jablonski
VM III rühm
Tiger
ReplyDeleteThe tiger (Panthera Tigris) is a member of Felidae family. It is the largest of cats in the genus Panthera. The tiger is natively from eastern and southern Asia. Tigers are classified into 5 subspecies Bengal, Chinese, Indochinese, Siberian and Sumatran. It is a predator and a carnivore. Tigers are up to 3,3 meters long and weight up to 300 kilograms. They have a reddish-orange fur with black vertical stripes. Like most cats, their night-time vision is very good. They have round pupils and yellow irises. Tigers live 10-15 years in the wild.
They are territorial and generally solitary mammals, who often require large areas to live and prey. Tigers are classified as endangered. This is caused by their habitat destruction and hunting.
Tigers’ prey includes small- to medium-sized mammals like rabbits and deer. Tigers drag their prey to safe place to eat it. Tigers can eat up to 40 pounds of meat at once. Tigers can go for days without eating.
Tigers breed during the winter season. Females carry their babies about 3,5 months and they give birth to 2-4 blind cubs at once. The cubs weight about 2-3 pounds at birth. They live on their mother’s milk the first 6-8 weeks, after that they are introduced to meat. They are dependent on their mother for a year and a half. At that age they can start hunting themselves.
http://www.tigerdata.info/south-china-tigers/the-south-china-tiger/
http://www.solarnavigator.net/animal_kingdom/mammals/tigers.htm
Johanna Pönniö