The deadliest cat in the world
Where is the black-footed cat at home?
The black-footed cat, also known as Felis nigripes, is one of the least studied carnivorous animals. It is found in the dry zones of southwest Africa, as well as in Botswana and Namibia. A few black-footed cats have also been spotted in Angola and Zimbabwe. The black-footed cat prefers to live in dry savannahs, grasslands and semi-deserts.
However, the population size of this cat species in the wild is limited, so it has been classified as endangered since 2002. This cat species is no longer found in European zoos either, as the zoo population died out a few years ago due to a metabolic disease.
This is what the black-footed cat looks like
The black-footed cat has brown-yellow fur, pink skin, round ears and very large eyes. Characteristic of the cat are the dark spots on its fur, which form rings on the neck and tail. The name of the black-footed cat is somewhat misleading, as only the pads and undersides of their feet are black. Otherwise, the black-footed cat is visually characterized by the following characteristics:
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body weight: The male black-footed cats, also called Kuder, weigh almost 2 kilograms. The females are significantly lighter at just under 1.5 kilograms.
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body length: The male cats are approximately 36 to 43 centimeters long from head to torso and have a 16 to 20 centimeter long tail. The body length of females is a maximum of 37 centimeters and their tail is 17 centimeters long.
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Body height: The animals' shoulder height is up to 25 centimeters. The head of the black-footed cat appears quite large in relation to the rest of the body.
When you think of the most dangerous animal in the world, you think of something big and powerful, like a lion or...
The behavior of the black-footed cat
The black-footed cat is a shy animal and is mainly active at night and at dusk. During the day they hide in the abandoned burrows of other animals, such as rabbits or termites. The cats also retreat into these burrows to give birth. Since this type of cat is a good digger, they expand the caves themselves even further. Unlike domestic cats, the black-footed cat digs with both paws. The animal is a “nomad” and combs an area of 10 to 22 square kilometers every year. The cats are also very active at night and cover around 8 to 16 kilometers. The black-footed cat can react quite aggressively when attacked and defend itself resolutely.
This is how the small predator feeds
The black-footed cat itself is not very large, so it mainly feeds on small animals such as mice and birds. However, from time to time she also kills large birds such as Cape Parrots or Gadden Bustards, some of which are heavier than herself. The black-footed cat hunts almost exclusively on the ground - so it climbs less than others Cat species.
Overall, the swarm-footed cat's daily nutritional requirement is around 250 grams. If they have killed a larger animal, they sometimes eat up to a fifth of their body weight within a short period of time. Cats cover most of their water needs through their prey.
The hunting behavior of the “deadliest cat in the world”
The black-footed cat is a very active hunter that can kill several animals per hour while hunting and is successful in more than half of them. At night the cat often catches more than 10 small animals. To catch the animal, the black-footed cat sneaks as close to the prey as possible and sprints the last few meters. The prey is then grabbed with its paws and killed with one bite.
The black-footed cat has different ways of hunting. Either it moves through its “hunting territory” at 2 to 3 kilometers per hour and scares off its prey. Another variant is that it creeps very slowly through the area and repeatedly tries to locate its prey. In the third variant, the cat sits there with its eyes sometimes even closed and tries to scent the animals. Only her ears move back and forth.
The black-footed cat is a very skilled and successful hunter. Because it kills more animals in a short period of time than any other cat species, it is considered the "deadliest" cat in the world. A leopard, for example, needs over half a year to kill as many animals as she does. Of course, the leopard catches much larger animals, while the black-footed cat catches many smaller animals. However, the black-footed cat is less dangerous for humans due to its small size and shy nature.
