Species: Indian Desert Cat

Context: An Indian Desert Cat has been spotted for the first time in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR)
About Indian Desert Cat

• This cat is found in deserts and can survive without water.
• The toes of the species have cushion like hair which help it balance the fluctuating desert temperatures.
• The species is highly adaptable and can be found in forests as well as arid and semi-arid regions.
• It preys on small rodents and reptiles and is mostly a nocturnal creature.

Description

• It is smaller than the European wildcat and its fur is more yellow or reddish in colour with characteristic small black or reddish-brown spots and sometimes stripes. 
• The toes of the species have cushion-like hair which helps them balance the fluctuating desert temperatures.

Distribution

• This cat is found in deserts and can survive without water. 
• It is widely distributed from the Caucasus and Turkey to western India, northward to Kazakhstan, western China and southern Mongolia. 

Conservation Status

• The wildcat (including Felis silvestris and Felis lybica) is considered as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

About Panna Tiger Reserve

• Situated in the Vindhyan mountain range in the northern part of Madhya Pradesh, Panna Tiger Reserve is spread over the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
• Flowing from the south to the north through the reserve is the River Ken. It is the lifeline of this reserve and is the least polluted of Yamuna’s tributaries.
• These forests along with Ken Gharial Sanctuary form a significant part of the catchment area of this river.
• The reserve is also dotted with two thousand year-old rock paintings.
• Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Madhya Pradesh (MP) included in the global network of biosphere reserves by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a critical tiger habitat.