12 Rare Wild Cat Species You Probably Didn't Know Exist

We all know about the wild cats such as lions, tigers, cougars, leopards and even jaguars, but there's a whole world of small and big cats out there, especially a bunch of rare cat breeds that you've probably never heard of.

Sand Cat (Felis Margarita): This species is found in three distinct areas of the world: Sahara Desert of Africa in the countries of Algeria, Niger and Morocco; throughout the Arabian Peninsula; and parts of Central Asia including Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. (Cunningham, 2002; "Sand Cat Felis margarita Locke 1858", 1996). Members of this species are psammophillic (sand dwelling), occurring in very arid, dry habitats such as deserts. They are found in desert habitats ranging from plains with little vegetation to rocky valleys with shrubs and trees. They live in extreme conditions with daily surface temperatures reaching up to 51ºC during the daytime, while nighttime temperatures can drop as low as -0.5ºC. (Cunningham, 2002; Goodman and Helmy, 1986; "Sand Cat Felis margarita Locke 1858", 1996). Sand cats are a solitary species and not much is known of their mating systems. It is believed that their hearing plays an important part in communication during the mating season.