Wild Sand Kittens Have Just Been Caught On Film For The First Time Ever And They’re Too Adorable
James Gould-Bourn Community member
After four patient years of extensive research, sand cat kittens have finally been caught on camera for the very first time.
The kittens, aged between six to eight weeks old, were spotted by a big cat organisation called Panthera, who spent around an hour taking images of the kittens before radio-collaring an adult female believed to be their mother. The team, headed by biologists Grégory Breton and Dr Alexander Sliwa, noticed the kittens as they drove back to camp in the Moroccan Sahara in April this year. Spotting three pairs of eyes glowing in the darkness, the researchers couldn’t believe their luck when they realised what they’d found.
“Finding these kittens was astonishing,” said Breton, managing director of Panthera France. “We believe this was the first time researchers ever documented wild sand cat kittens in their African range.”
Sand cats are the only species of cat that lives exclusively in the desert. They can be found in North Africa, The Middle East, and Central Asia, but as the research team discovered, actually locating them is incredibly difficult due to their extraordinary ability to evade detection. Their sand-colored coats makes them hard to spot, and their furry paws mean they don’t leave any footprints in the sand. They only travel under cover of darkness and they always clear up after themselves, so the fact that the team were able to capture the amazing footage below is nothing short of remarkable. Scroll down to see for yourself. And no, before you ask, you cannot keep them as pets.
More info: Panthera
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
Image credits: Grégory Breton
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The sand (or desert) cats must be visually cutest species on the planet. Thanks a lot for sharing the photos, but I sure hope the team will keep the location secret. It could fire back, having bunch of scrupulous low-life hunters on their trail, killing or capturing these for idiots wanting to have a rare trophy or a pet.
I typed out a similar comment... and scrolled down to see so many more people resonate the same sentiment of keeping these creatures away from malicious money-making eyes.... I am happy to see that there are some people who DO understand the importance of keeping locations secret so that the animals stay out of harms way! We'll continue making that difference!
so true
I agree with you 100% the cutest cats ever
You beat me to it.
I'm right now reading a whole book on the 37 wild cat species found in existence. And of course, Felis margarita is the cutest species of them all. But I do hope no one starts looking for one as a pet, they are rare, like most cat species and they'd do better if they are left alone.
Too late. At least one wildlife rescue operation has had full grown sand cats delivered to it that were confiscated from private owners. The illegal wildlife trade is alive and well, for those who have enough money.
This is so cute I forgot how to human. Attempting reboot of how-to-act-human.exe
reboot fail
The sand (or desert) cats must be visually cutest species on the planet. Thanks a lot for sharing the photos, but I sure hope the team will keep the location secret. It could fire back, having bunch of scrupulous low-life hunters on their trail, killing or capturing these for idiots wanting to have a rare trophy or a pet.
I typed out a similar comment... and scrolled down to see so many more people resonate the same sentiment of keeping these creatures away from malicious money-making eyes.... I am happy to see that there are some people who DO understand the importance of keeping locations secret so that the animals stay out of harms way! We'll continue making that difference!
so true
I agree with you 100% the cutest cats ever
You beat me to it.
I'm right now reading a whole book on the 37 wild cat species found in existence. And of course, Felis margarita is the cutest species of them all. But I do hope no one starts looking for one as a pet, they are rare, like most cat species and they'd do better if they are left alone.
Too late. At least one wildlife rescue operation has had full grown sand cats delivered to it that were confiscated from private owners. The illegal wildlife trade is alive and well, for those who have enough money.
This is so cute I forgot how to human. Attempting reboot of how-to-act-human.exe
reboot fail