This cat looks a little like Cruzio Internet’s logo
- black-footed cats can be found in parts of southern and central southern Africa
- despite it’s adorable size and general appearance, it is believed to be the world’s deadliest cat
- hey achieve the highest kill rate, successfully taking their target in 60% of hunts, which other cats get around 20-40% of the time
- the tiny cat is perhaps the smallest of all wild cat species in Africa
- they weigh about 2.2-5.5 lbs
- it is believed that there are less than 10,000 mature individuals in the wild, and that the population is declining
- they have been known to travel around 20 miles in a single night to hunt for prey
- the black-footed cat is also solitary
- these cats have pink skin, which is different from other wild cats, whose skin is usually dark tan to black
- both sexes mark their territories by urinating
- their vision is six times better than that of humans, aided by enormous eyes. It’s also equipped with excellent night vision and impeccable hearing that can pick up even the tiniest sound
- despite its name, only the pads and underparts of the cat’s feet are black
- their soft, dense coat ranges from dark to pale tawny gold, with a bold pattern of rounded dark brown to black spots which sometimes merge into bands or rings
- they are protected from the hot sand by hair on the black soles of the feet
- they prefer arid to semi-arid scrub and short grassland, and open terrain close to rocky outcrops
- the little dudes are predominantly nocturnal but occasionally crepuscular (which means it can be seen out of its den just after sunset and before sunrise)
- during the day they rest either in burrows dug by other species, in hollow termite mounds or among rock tumbles
- in Afrikaans they are called miershooptier, means anthill tiger, hence the burrowing into termite mounds
- one small black-footed cat can consume 3,000 rodents each year
- they have also been observed eating eggs, crushing them gently between the jaws, and then licking the contents clean
- natives have a legend claiming these tiny cats can bring down giraffe, but it has not been proven, thankfully
- check out this lil cat on the prowl, looking all cute and deadly here
