Description: They have hairy paw pads and a very broad head, the eyes are large and face forwards and their ears are tapered and are very widly spaced, they can be moved into a horizontal, downward possition. The canines are comparatively long. Coat: Plain yellow-brown to grey-brown with a ringed tail that is black tipped.
Size: Head and body length 40-57cm, tail length 23-35cm.
Weight: 1.5-3.4kg.
Senses: They do not swim and perfer not to climb. Their hearing is extremely good, sight very good and their sense of smell moderate. The horizontal possitioning of the ears probably helps them to detect subterranian sounds. The hairy pads will help to grip the soft sand of their desert habitat.
Habitat: Desert.
Range: They hold a small range of severl square km. Territories will always include a gerbil colony.
Distribution: N Africa and Sw Asia (Sahara to Baluchistan).
Status:
Daily Rhythm: Nocturnal. They wander tirelessly at dusk and through the night. By day they avoid the heat by lying in old or new burrows (usually among bushes or in dunes), they may also rest in among rocks and rock hewn landscapes. During the day when they are concealed in their burrows they become torpid to reserve water.
Voice: Cannot roar but pur and meow. They hiss and growl when they are angry of frightened. The mating call is a very loud mewing.
Enemies: Poisonous snakes, large owls and jackals.
Prey: Small mammals (above all gerbils), lizards, birds and insects. Most attempts to capture birds are failed but they are experts at capturing gerbils.
Food and Feeding: Usually kill their own prey but will take carrion occasionaly when the oppotunity arises.
Grouping: Probably solitary.
Breeding: The male yowls loudly to females who are in oestrus to attreact them to him. The breeding season falls in March-April.
Gestation: 63 days.
Litter Size: 2-4 young are born per litter.
Young Description: Kittens have clear coat markings that usually fade with age. The kittens weigh 50-60g at birth, head and body length 12 cm, tai llength 6cm. By 1 week they weigh 100g and at 4 weeks they weigh over 300g. Their eyes are closed when they are born but they open after 2 weeks.
Nest: The nest is made in burrow or amongst rocks.
Young Care: The kittens first venture outside about 3 weeks and start to take solid food at 5 weeks. They leave their mother at 3-4 months and become independent.
Sexual Maturity: 10-12 months.
Longevity: Only known in captivity, where they live to 8 years.

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