James Parnell answered
As of 2012, there are twenty-six sand cats living in captivity in the United States of America.
However, because sand cats mostly live solitary lives in very inhospitable conditions, it is very difficult to establish the exact numbers living in the rest of the world.
How many sand cats are left in the world?
The sand cat is considered a "near threatened" species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means that the species could be threatened with extinction in the near future, but not quite yet.
However, because sand cats mostly live solitary lives in very inhospitable conditions, it is very difficult to establish the exact numbers living in the rest of the world.
How many sand cats are left in the world?
The sand cat is considered a "near threatened" species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This means that the species could be threatened with extinction in the near future, but not quite yet.
- The sand cat is the only cat that lives in truly desert conditions, as it can survive without drinking water for months on end.
- The species lives in the the Sahara desert, the Arabian desert, and the deserts of Pakistan and Iran.
- The sand cat is under threat from human settlement and activity in their habitats. They may be killed by poachers, or die from starvation (as a result of livestock grazing) or drought - when there isn't enough water for the vegetation they eat to grow.
