In news– An Indian Desert Cat has been spotted for the first time in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) recently.
About Indian Desert Cat-
- Indian Desert Cat also known as the Asian steppe wildcat and Indian desert cat.
- This cat is found in deserts and can survive without water.
- It is an African wildcat subspecies that occurs from the eastern Caspian Sea north to Kazakhstan, into western India, western China and southern Mongolia.
- The toes of the species have cushion-like hair which help it balance the fluctuating desert temperatures.
- It mostly eats fish as its food.
- Its fur is light sandy, and small rounded spots cover its upper body.
- IUCN status: Least Concern.
- It is included on CITES Appendix II.
- It is also protected under schedule I of the Wildlife protection Act 1972.
- In India, it mainly inhabits the Thar Desert and is associated with scrub desert.
- The name of the Indian Desert Cat was mentioned in old documents of the PTR, but the photographic presence of this species was not recorded earlier.
- Earlier, the presence of a desert cat was recorded in the state’s Nauradehi sanctuary.
Source: The Indian Express
