Sand cat kittens have finally been seen on video for the first time after four years of intensive research.
The six to eight-week-old kittens were discovered by Panthera, a big cat organisation. Panthera spent about an hour photographing the babies before radio-collaring an adult female thought to be their mother.
In April of this year, the team, led by biologists Grégory Breton and Dr. Alexander Sliwa, came across the kittens on their way back to their camp in the Moroccan Sahara.
The researchers couldn’t believe their good fortune when they noticed three pairs of sparkling eyes in the shadows.
The discovery of these kittens, according to Breton, managing director of Panthera France, “was astonishing.” In the range of the wild sand cat in Africa, “we think this was the first time researchers ever documented wild sand cat babies.”
The only cat species that only inhabits the desert is the sand cat.
Although they can be found throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, the research team found that due to their exceptional ability to elude detection, actually finding them is very challenging.
Their hairy paws prevent them from leaving sand imprints, and their sand-colored coats make them difficult to see.
Image credits: Grégory Breton
