IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group Library

IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library

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Banfield, L.M.; al Qahtani, H.M., D.
Arabian Sand Cat _Felis margarita harrisoni _Status Review and Conservation Strategy
2014 Full Book
The sand cat _Felis margarita_ is one of the least-well known of all cat species. It has a wide but patchy distribution in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Central Asia and Pakistan. Presence has been confirmed from only a few locations and no reliable estimates of population size or trend are available. Many aspects of their basic biology and ecology are also poorly known. The sand cat is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Four subspecies have been described but the validity of these forms has not been confirmed genetically. Sand cats in Arabia are usually assigned to F.m. harrisoni. Regional red listing classified the Arabian sand cat as Near Threatened but it is listed as Endangered in the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi red lists. Sand cats are kept in many zoos and collections mainly in the USA, Europe and the Middle East. The largest captive group is held at Al Ain Zoo, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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