‘Ferocious’ desert creature welcomes triplets at NC zoo. Check out the adorable trio

Three adorable new kittens will call the North Carolina Zoo home after a first-time mom gave birth last month, the zoo announced.

But don’t let their cuddly exterior fool you – they can be “ferocious” feline killers.

“The North Carolina Zoo is excited to announce yet another recent birth: three sand cat kittens … were born on May 11,” the zoo said in a June 2 news release. “Small enough to fit into the palm of your hand, the kittens were born to first-time mother Sahara, 3, and father Cosmo, 9.”

The snuggly trio are sand cats, a species of feline that calls the deserts of North Africa home, the zoo said.

“Though they appear adorable with big ears, eyes, and petite frame, looks can be deceiving,” the zoo said. “Zookeepers are quick to tell you they are wild, ferocious animals that should never be kept as pets.”

In the desert, sand cats are “mighty hunters” that kill and eat venomous snakes, and they are the only cats on Earth to live exclusively in the dry desert environment, according to the zoo.

They are rarely seen in the wild due to their remote home, and they hunt at night to avoid the beating sun of the desert, the zoo said. Their elusive nature makes it difficult for researchers to learn more about the species.

“The sand cat is one of the world’s smallest feline species, weighing from four to eight pounds and measuring, on average, 20 inches long,” the zoo said.

The cats have exceptional hearing that they use to track down animals under the sand and then dig to capture their prey, according to the zoo.

The kittens were born as part of a Sand Cat Species Survival Plan, a program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that aims to foster healthy and genetically diverse populations of endangered and threatened species in aquariums and zoos around the world.

“The trio are bright-eyed & beginning to explore their surroundings in the Desert habitat,” the zoo wrote on Twitter.

Guests may be able to spot the kittens in their enclosure in the coming days, the zoo said. The public will be able to vote on the kittens’ names as well.

North Carolina Zoo is in Asheboro, about 30 miles south of Greensboro.

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