Victor Loche (1806–1863) was a French soldier and
naturalist.
In 1856–1857, he participated in an expedition to the
Algeria
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, capital = Algiers
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n part of the
Sahara
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, photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972
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, and described the
mammals
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
and birds of Algeria in the book ''Catalogue des mammifères et des oiseaux'' published in 1858.
He first described the
sand cat
The sand cat (''Felis margarita'') is a small wild cat that inhabits sandy and stony deserts far from water sources. With its sandy to light grey fur, it is well camouflaged in a desert environment. Its head-and-body length ranges from with a ...
''Felis margarita'' from a specimen found in the area of ''Négonça'' in the Sahara, and proposed to name the cat in recognition of
Jean Auguste Margueritte
Jean Auguste Margueritte (15 January 1823 – 6 September 1870), French General, father of Victor Margueritte and Paul Margueritte.
After a career in Algeria, General Margueritte was mortally wounded in the great cavalry charge at Sedan, in ...
who headed the expedition.
Published works
* ''Description d'une nouvelle espèce de Zorille'', 1856.
* ''Catalogue des mammifères et des oiseaux'', Paris : Bertrand, 1858; later published in English by: Book On Demand Ltd, 2014.
* ''Histoire naturelle des mammifères'', Paris, Arthus Bertrand, 1867; part of series: Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842/
World Cat Search
publications
References
French zoologists
1806 births
1863 deaths
French male writers
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