Mecca: Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve: Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve has successfully deployed and retrieved GPS tracking collars on six sand cats (Felis margarita), marking the first global instance of this technology being used for the species.
According to Saudi Press Agency, by capturing, collaring, and sampling six individual sand cats, the reserve's research team has combined GPS tracking with genomic analysis to create the most comprehensive scientific dataset for the species thus far. This effort, in collaboration with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's (RZSS) WildGenes laboratory, has facilitated the development of a high-quality reference genome, offering new insights into the sand cat's population structure and evolutionary relationships. This has reinforced recent studies suggesting that the sand cat consists of two subspecies rather than four.
In Bedouin folklore, the sand cat is revered as the 'ghost of the desert.' Their unique adaptations, such as fur on the soles of their paws allowing them to move silently across dunes and their behavior of crouching and closing their eyes to avoid detection, make them elusive. As the only wild cats living exclusively in desert environments, they are nocturnal, inhabiting some of the hottest and driest regions, from North Africa to Southwest and Central Asia. Despite their wide range, data on the species remains scarce, and they are listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Reserve CEO Andrew Zaloumis emphasized the significance of scientific data in understanding sand cats, stating that it is vital for revealing the balance of plants, prey, and predators in the ecosystem. This understanding is crucial for the potential reintroduction of larger carnivores like the Asiatic cheetah and leopard to the reserve.
The capture and collaring of three male and three female sand cats were done in accordance with Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) standards. The collars, weighing less than 3% of the animal's body weight, were equipped with a mechanism to detach after three months, minimizing disturbance to the animals.
The collars were programmed to record GPS locations at two-hour intervals during the night, over a period of 635 monitoring nights, yielding over 3,000 GPS location points. This data provided unprecedented insight into the sand cats' home ranges, den usage, habitat preferences, and interactions.
Senior Ecologist Josh Smithson highlighted that previous research on sand cats was limited due to their small size and reliance on outdated technology. The new GPS collars, developed in partnership with global telemetry experts, are lightweight and provide detailed movement data paired with genetic sampling, advancing global understanding of the species.
Sand cats, as the only wild felines adapted to desert life, are crucial for understanding biodiversity in extreme environments. Their ability to survive in arid climates, with adaptations such as fur-covered foot pads and extraordinary hearing capabilities, make them important indicators of ecosystem health.
The reserve is committed to pioneering species conservation and scientific knowledge. It has developed advanced collar designs and continues to monitor sand cats through various technologies. The reserve uses tracking technology to study species across different environments, contributing to the global scientific and conservation community with its findings.