In the endless desert, the wind and sand are rolling, the heat is unbearable, it is difficult to see living creatures, and even lizards have burrowed into the sand to escape the heat. Zoologists squatted for many days, and finally at dusk one day, they found the mysterious desert cat.
The desert cat is cute and beautiful, running nimbly in the desert, as if looking for something. Just when the zoologist was excited, he found that the desert cat stretched out its paws and kept scratching a brown thing, which was camel droppings, which had become dry and hard.
It turned out that in addition to sand in the desert is sand, desert cats could not find a trunk that could sharpen their paws, so they had to use camel droppings to sharpen their paws, sharpen their paws and then hunt.
Zoologists exclaim that this behavior of desert cats is too "creative"! You know, the desert cat is the only cat that mainly lives in the desert, feeding on poisonous snakes and lizards, and the fearless fierceness when hunting, and the flat-headed honey badger has a fight, so it is also known as the desert "flat-headed brother".
01
Long hair on the soles of the feet can be insulated, ears are large, hearing is strong, and is the cutest "desert survival expert"
Desert cat, also known as dune cat, sand cat, it first appeared in human vision, or in 1858, a French expedition discovered the desert cat in the Sahara Desert, and in the published book, described this beautiful cat.
It is mainly distributed in the desert of the Sahara Desert in North Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, the area around the Caspian Sea in Russia, and the desert in southern Pakistan, with 6 subspecies. The environment in which the desert cat lives is not only barren and desolate, but also has a harsh climate, with temperatures as high as 50 °C and -10 °C at low times.
The desert cat weighs only about 4-7 pounds, is a little larger than the black-footed cat, small and delicate, cute and cute, but can survive in the desert environment, which depends on its own unique structure and adaptability.
With thick sand-yellow hair, even the eyes are close to sandy yellow, which blends well with the desert and enhances concealment. At the same time, the hair is not long but thick, which helps to resist the low temperature at night, and will not be burned when walking in the hot sun.
There are thick meat pads under the feet, and 2 cm long hairs grow between the toes, covering the foot pads to isolate the heat. When the sand is hot, it's perfectly fine to walk on it, and it doesn't leave a footprint, allowing natural predators to follow.
A pair of large ears, growing on the sides of the head, is not only beautiful, but also practical, super good hearing, can hear subtle sounds under the sand, and accurately locate prey hiding under the sand. At the same time, thick hairs grow inside the ears, which can withstand sandstorms and prevent sand from blowing into the ears.
Don't be fooled by the cuteness of the desert cat, in fact, it is a powerful lord and the cutest "desert survival expert"!
02
Hit the viper with his claws, scratch it all over his body, and dig holes to catch the jerboa
Because the desert is arid and has little rain, little vegetation and not many animals, there are not many prey for desert cats to hunt. Gerbils, jerboas, lizards, poisonous snakes, poisonous spiders, poisonous scorpions, etc. are all food for desert cats, among which poisonous snakes are the favorite of desert cats.
When it comes to snake hunting skills, desert cats are famous, small in size, but really explosive. It can be said that no poisonous snake can escape the magical "meow catch" of the desert cat alive.
When they see a poisonous snake, the desert cat will run directly over, stretch out its front paws to strike the head and neck of the viper with a thunderous momentum, hit it immediately, and then quickly jump back two steps to avoid the counterattack of the viper. When the viper hit the air, he rushed forward again and slammed it.
After a few blows, the poisonous snake has been covered in scales and unable to fight back, at this time the desert cat bites the snake's head again, clicks, clicks, bites and bites, eating poisonous snakes is like eating spicy strips, and greedily licking the corners of the mouth.
In addition, desert cats are also the best cats at burrowing, using keen hearing to lock on gerbils or jerboas, knowing that they are hiding underground, they quickly dig with their front paws to dig the burrows of jerboas, and when the jerboas want to escape, they quickly prey on them.
In the eyes of locals, the desert cat is the desert "snake catcher".
03
Hiding in a cave during the day to escape the heat, running 10 kilometers at night to hunt, you can go 30 days without drinking water
The desert cat is a solitary animal that is always alone. During the breeding season, they will live with the opposite sex for a short time. When the female desert cat gives birth to her cubs, the same litter of desert cats will groom each other.
Desert cats also like to go out day and night, no way, the desert during the day is really hot. Therefore, in broad daylight, desert cats hide in caves to escape the heat, sleep, and even if they occasionally go out, they will hide under the bushes to rest, rather than walking on the hot smoky sand.
But at night, the desert cat is active, out of the hole, running, searching, finding prey, rushing to hunt, busy and happy. Sometimes camel droppings or twigs are used to sharpen their paws.
In one night, the distance of running is more than 10 kilometers, and it is not easy to make a living!
Desert food is hard to find, and water is even rarer, but desert cats have evolved a "skill", that is, they can go 30 days without drinking water.
On the one hand, desert cats get water from captured prey, and whenever they catch snakes and rats, they first lick their blood to avoid loss and waste.
On the other hand, the desert cat's urinary system can filter and recycle the water in the body many times, reuse it, and reduce urination.
This is the secret of desert cats that can go 30 days without drinking water, of course, in the case of water, desert cats will still drink happily.
04
At night, your eyes glow and you close your eyes when you meet someone to avoid detection
Because the habitat of the desert cat is vast and desolate, it is difficult to estimate its number, and many scientists and photographers specifically look for it, but it is difficult to find its traces, because the desert cat has a strong "counter-reconnaissance" ability.
During the day, the desert cat's coat color and eyes can be perfectly integrated into the desert background, but at night, its eyes will glow, so that it is easy to be detected.
However, desert cats are very sensitive and can grasp the situation around them with the help of hearing. According to local guides, if it encounters people at night, the desert cat will close its eyes so that it blends in with the night to prevent its whereabouts from being discovered.
If you can't find the desert cat Buddha-figure and find the feces it excretes, you can also study its diet. However, finding the droppings of desert cats is also difficult, because desert cats will dig holes and bury their own feces, plus it walks without leaving footprints, so it is really difficult to find its tracks.
These behaviors of desert cats are also to avoid being attacked by natural enemies.
Therefore, in the eyes of scientists, the desert cat can simply be called a "master of counter-reconnaissance".
05
The burrow dug by the fenna fox was occupied by the desert cat within a few days and expanded
Desert cats love to live in caves, dig holes to catch mice, and also dig holes to bury endless food and excreted feces. However, desert cats often also occupy the burrows of fennec foxes.
Scientists observed that an auricle fox kept digging under a hidden bush, and soon dug a cave and moved in beautifully.
However, not a few days later, the new cave of the fennec fox was discovered by a desert cat, and regardless of the fact that the fenna fox was still in the cave, it rushed directly in, and after a while, the fenna fox was driven out of the cave and ran away in ashes - everyone is cute, so they can't coexist peacefully?
After the desert cat naturally occupied the burrow of the fennec fox, it seemed that it was not very satisfied with the cave, and expanded and repaired it itself, digging some sand from it from time to time. For a long time afterwards, desert cats lived in this cave.
So fierce, so domineering, the desert cat has another title: the desert bully.
06
epilogue
Desert cats and honey badgers, a feline, a mustather, but they are not large, fierce, with a fearless spirit in their bones, and the name of the desert "flat-headed brother" is not called indiscriminately.
Finally, there is a small tip: the desert cat and China's unique desert cat, the name is only one word different, but it is two different cats, don't be confused!
Snow Valley Nature Lab/Production
References: Nature Journal, iNaturalist, Journal of Zoology, Exploration and Discovery