Felis margarita scheffeli

Felis margarita scheffeli
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Felis
Species: F. margarita
Subspecies: F. m. scheffeli
Trinomial name
Felis margarita scheffeli
Hemmer, 1974

Felis margarita scheffeli is a subspecies of the sand cat that was described on the basis of seven deceased captive specimen originating from the Nushki desert in Pakistan.[1] It is called Pakistan sand cat.[2]

The first individual was detected in 1966 near the Lora River. In the late 1960s, sand cats were also encountered farther west, in the Chagai Hills, an extremely arid area comprising rolling sand dunes and stony plains at about 1,200 m (3,900 ft) elevation. This is the only area in Pakistan, where sand cats were found.[3]

In the national 'Red List of Pakistan’s Mammals', the sand cat has been listed as critically endangered since 2003.[4]

See also

References

  1. Hemmer, H. (1974). [Studies on the systematics and biology of the sand cat.] Zeitschrift des Kölner Zoo 17 (1): 11–20. (in German)
  2. Ahmed, N. S. (1999). "Wild Cats of Pakistan". Wildlife of Pakistan. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  3. Roberts, T. (1977). The Mammals of Pakistan. Ernest Benn, Cornell.
  4. Sheikh, K. M. & Molur, S. 2004. (Eds.) Status and Red List of Pakistan’s Mammals. Based on the Conservation Assessment and Management Plan. IUCN Pakistan.
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