Sahara’s Secret: The Cat That Walks Alone

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• The Moroccan Saharan desert is one of the harshest, most punishing environments on earth — it’s also home to a tiny wildcat with kittenish looks and the ability to travel astonishing distances
• The Saharan sand cat weighs in at no more than 6 pounds, and seems perfectly designed for life in the desert
• Lack of food (i.e., rodents) in the desert is likely the reason the tiny sand cats cover great distances in their enormous home range of at least 120 square miles for males, and at least 100 for females — it’s a matter of survival
• The sand cats are notoriously difficult to track and study, which is why we know relatively little about them