Wild sand kittens caught on camera for the very first time

The sand cat – also known as the sand dune cat – is one of the most elusive wild cat species on Earth. Due to its sandy-light grey fur, the sand cat is so well camouflaged in its natural habitat that is nearly impossible to spot. While there have been many sightings of adult dune cats, their kittens have never been filmed before, until a conservationists team has finally managed to do it!

Image credits: Grégory Breton

These majestic creatures live in the world’s most arid areas, like the Sahara desert. And their fine camouflage make them incredibly difficult to observe. However, after more than four years a team at the Panthera – a big cat organization, has managed to film some extremely adorable wild sand kittens.

Image credits: Grégory Breton

The extremely rare footage was filmed in the Moroccan Sahara, where the team headed by Grégory Breton and Dr Alexander Sliwa spotted the three lovely kittens. “Finding these kittens was astonishing,” said Grégory Breton, managing director of Panthera. “We believe this was the first time researchers ever documented wild sand cat kittens in their African range!”

The sands cats are living in the arid deserts of North Africa, The Middle East or Central Asia, but due to their ability to walk unseen, it is pretty difficult for the researchers to estimate their population. The species have been first discovered back in 1858 in the Algerian Sahara. One of these wild cat’s particularity is their furry paws, meaning they leave no footprints while walking. An adult could reach up to 6 pounds and a length of around 20 inches from head to tail.

Image credits: Grégory Breton

h/t: panthera

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