Living Beings
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Species · Panthera
Lion
Panthera leo
Lions are social cats that live in groups called prides. A pride usually includes related females, their young, and one or more …
Sandkat1 (Felis margarita).jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. AI-generated illustration. Malene Thyssen · CC BY-SA 3.0
Field guide · species
Sand Cat
Felis margarita
The sand cat is a small wild felid associated with very dry environments. Its desert life depends on finding shelter and locating scattered prey, rather than simply tolerating an exposed sandy landscape.
Public research profile · final editorial review pending.
Tree of lifeScientific lineage
- LifeLife
- DomainEukaryota
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCarnivora
- FamilyFelidae
- GenusFelis
- SpeciesFelis margarita
Advanced classification
Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.
- cellular organisms cellular root
- Eukaryota domain
- Opisthokonta clade
- Metazoa kingdom
- Eumetazoa clade
- Bilateria clade
- Deuterostomia clade
- Chordata phylum
- Craniata subphylum
- Vertebrata clade
- Gnathostomata clade
- Teleostomi clade
- Euteleostomi clade
- Sarcopterygii superclass
- Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
- Tetrapoda clade
- Amniota clade
- Mammalia class
- Theria clade
- Eutheria clade
- Boreoeutheria clade
- Laurasiatheria superorder
- Carnivora order
- Feliformia suborder
- Felidae family
- Felinae subfamily
- Felis genus
- Felis margarita species
Physical traits
A pale coat and broad head with large, low-set ears help give it a distinctive appearance.
Habitat and range
Arid sandy and stony habitats are used. Vegetation and burrows can provide important local shelter.
Diet and nutrition
Small mammals, reptiles and other desert animals are hunted according to availability.
Behavior and activity
Sand cats dig and use burrows for shelter. Activity and refuge use help them avoid the most demanding desert conditions.
Geographic distribution
The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Israel?, Pakistan?, Qatar?, Yemen?.
Shared classification
Related species
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Species · Panthera
Tiger
Panthera tigris
Tigers are large, striped cats native to Asia. Adults generally live and hunt alone.
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Species · Panthera
Leopard
Panthera pardus
Rosettes, a muscular body and an unusually flexible choice of habitat distinguish the leopard. This solitary cat hunts from cover and can …
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Species · Panthera
Jaguar
Panthera onca
The jaguar is the largest living cat native to the Americas. Its stocky build, broad head and rosetted coat suit an ambush …
Evidence
Sources
- Felis margarita · NCBI Taxonomy ↗www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Felis margarita · Biological reference ↗www.mammaldiversity.org
- Felis margarita · Biological reference ↗animaldiversity.org
Connected life
Relationships
No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.
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